The Legend Continues
by LightPhyre
Summary: Darken Rahl has a sudden and unexpected change of heart, but can his brother learn to forgive him? A new enemy also arises-and it appears impossible to stop. What's worse, Sister Nicci is back, and she has plans of her own... Set immediately after the final season of the TV show.-Written as if it were Season Three.
1. A New Problem

**Chapter One: A New Problem**

"Well," Richard said, a glint in his eye, "Where do you want to get married?" He was relaxing against the side of a fallen tree trunk with his arms crossed behind his head, stretching his weary muscles. It felt good to know that after all the trouble they went through, the world was finally at peace.

Kahlan looked at him skeptically as she rolled her eyes, laughing at his question. The recent news that her powers didn't affect him had made her heart sing for the past few days. Cara stood, one leg in front of the other, glaring at the air. Apparently, even saving the world didn't put her in good spirits. Zedd was enjoying a freshly cooked rabbit that Richard had caught for him an hour ago. He still had one of the bones in his mouth, sucking out every bit of flavor he could manage.

"I'll go anywhere," Richard said, smiling at the Mother Confessor, "How about under a waterfall? We could go back to Aydindril. Have the ceremony there. Or we can go somewhere else. We can have a big party." His smile grew wider. "Lots of people." He waved a hand around, showing that the even edges of the world couldn't be their limits. Not even the sky could hold them back now. Not even death. The Keeper would never return to the land of the living. He would never again send Banelings to harm any more innocent lives or torture others with screelings or his other minions.

Kahlan gave Richard a look that showed she was trying not to laugh. Her smile grew wider and she finally let out a few giggles. Richard tilted his head, not understanding the joke.

"Will you two lovebirds stop flirting while I'm here? I don't think I can resist throwing up for much longer," Cara said, her red leather shining in the sunlight. Her Agiels were in her leather belt, ready to attack any deadly squirrels that decided to intrude on them. It felt good to not have to worry about being killed all the time, but Cara never changed. She would be wary of enemies until the day she died.

"Relax, Cara," Zedd said, picking rabbit out of his teeth, "The world has been put back to the way it's supposed to be... Thanks to Richard." The wizard turned and smiled at his grandson.

"No, Zedd" Richard said, smirking, "I'm not going to catch you another rabbit."

Zedd huffed, his plan failed, and leaned back on his rear end, stretching out his back. A wizard of the First Order, someone of his rank, stuck catching his own rabbit. He solemnly shook his head at the sad thought. He wondered what they were all going to do now. Richard and Kahlan were going to get married by the looks of it. He would be honored to be invited to their wedding, but he wouldn't want to live with them after that. He figured he could go live with his brother, Thadicus, up in the mountains. It wouldn't be so bad. He'd visit his grandson and his new wife whenever he liked. He glanced over at Cara. What would she do if they split up? He would gladly offer for her to come with him, but he doubted she would agree. Then he thought about another member of his family: Jennsen. She was his granddaughter as well as Richard's sister. He could go visit her. She could come live with him now. Her mother, Zedd's daughter, was killed awhile back, and Panis Rahl, Jennsen's father, had died helping Richard find the scroll with the instructions on what to do with the Stone of Tears. The Sisters of the Dark had killed him. Luckily, they were all gone now…

Then, another puzzling thought struck his mind: Darken Rahl. He had sent his Mord-Sith to help Richard on his quest to stop the Keeper, but they had been confessed by Kahlan in the Con Dar. She had instructed them to kill eachother… He wondered if Rahl would be upset about that. His guess was no, but you could never be sure these days.

"Richard. I'd like to ask you something."

"Go ahead, Zedd. Just don't bother asking for another rabbit. I already gave you an answer for that," he laughed.

"No, no. It's not that. I just wanted to ask you if you were planning on taking the throne at the People's Palace in D'Hara. You know, now that the world is no longer threatened by the dead and all."

Richard paused. He was, in fact, the rightful heir to the D'Haran throne, but that was after he had killed Darken Rahl. Now, his brother was alive again. Did that take away his right to the throne? It wasn't that he really felt a need to have power, because he certainly didn't want it. All he wanted was to live the rest of his life in peace with Kahlan by his side. Maybe even a few children in the future to play with each other as they watched to make sure no one got hurt. Then, maybe even grandchildren. He smiled at the thought. It felt different to realize and comprehend the fact that, after all they had been through together, they were now going to live peaceful lives and die of old age. Of course, Cara would have a problem with that, but he would make sure of it whether she agreed or not.

He didn't want to think about Darken Rahl right now. He was thinking of his future with Kahlan, not of the wrongdoings and corruptions of the past. Besides, when Rahl was brought back to life, he lost all of his magic. And when he tricked them into having him tag along with their 'merry band' he had told Richard that he killed in the past because he was the very first Baneling to the Keeper. He was forced to either kill every day or die and face an eternity of torture from the hands of the Keeper himself. That wasn't an excuse for killing all those people though. Rahl was corrupted, and he was still going to make decisions based off of his own selfish desires. But, without his magic, a need to kill or the Keeper's guarantee of power in the world, Richard doubted he was going to cause as much trouble as before. He may cause some trouble, but he knew very well that Richard was still alive and well, and he would stop him at any cost. He also doubted that Rahl wanted that thought in the back of his mind. He figured he would at least lie low for a little while to give him a few years of peace.

"No," he finally said, "I'll let Darken Rahl have the throne. If he makes any trouble, I'll give him a fair warning. But I don't think he will. He no longer has any magic, so he can't control the armies like he did before. Plus, now that I'm here and everyone knows it, the people of the Midlands will never stand at his side again. I think they have the courage and the will to defy evil now. They'll stand up for what they believe in, instead of what someone else tells them to."

Zedd patted his grandson on the shoulder, helping himself to stand. "Well then. Where to, Mother Confessor?"

Kahlan looked up at the sound of her title. "I think I should go to Aydindril first to restore myself to power in the Midlands. I should also make sure that there's no more trouble that needs to be taken care of. Aydindril is where I belong, so that's where I think I'm headed."

"Then of course I'll come with you," Richard said, "Just let me know when you're ready to leave and I'll be there in a flash." He winked at her and Cara rolled her eyes at them.

"It's about a two weeks ride to Aydindril from here… But we don't have any horses. It may take over a month on foot," Zedd whined, rubbing his back and carefully bending over for emphasis.

"Give it a rest, wizard," Cara scowled, "If need be, we wouldn't mind leaving you behind if you're too weak to make the journey with us."

"Great," Zedd mumbled, "Another glorious adventure with Cara." He looked over at Richard. "We should leave as soon as possible so I don't have to deal with her yapping for any more time than I have to."

"Same to you, old man," Cara playfully growled.

"If we can get to the next village, we could purchase horses there to make the journey go a little faster." Zedd nodded his agreement, but then regretted saying anything. He was going to miss the good old days of fighting D'Harans and Sisters of the Dark. Fulfilling prophecies and travelling with the Seeker of Truth, saving villages and towns from the clutches of Darken Rahl and his men. Then sealing the tear in the veil to the Underworld by getting the compass and the Stone of Tears. All their adventures were over. He was going to miss shooting his wizard's fire at people every other day. Now, if he was lucky, he'd get to use it to start the stove back home when it refused to cook his food. It was wonderful that he didn't have to kill anymore, but he shamefully admitted that he would miss the adventures and the surprises it would throw at them at any point in time. Like attacks in the middle of the night or messages from their enemies. Maybe even some good luck every now and again.

He sighed. It was all over.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Darken Rahl leaned forward in his bed. Once again, he had been woken up by Sister Nicci's endless screams. The past few days had been the same annoying sound at all times. He told his Mord-Sith to give her a rest while he was sleeping or at least make her shut up. But no, they couldn't even do that. He was prepared to just order her dead right about now. It was screaming when he woke up, screaming when he ate breakfast, screaming while he was reading. He loved how his Mord-Sith worked with the men and women he gave them, but really? They couldn't stop for a day or two to give him some peace and quiet? He didn't even know why he was just sitting there, in his bed, listening to the bloodcurdling cries of the Sister from the other side of the building. All he had to do was order it all to stop. But here he was, covering his ears and doing nothing about it.

Relief had washed over him the moment his brother had sealed the Keeper away. He had warned Nicci that Richard never failed. It was her own fault for not listening to him. He had tried to warn her. She just refused to listen. And after almost boiling him alive, she deserved what she was getting. Maybe that was why he was sitting there, covering his ears. Because he didn't want to hear anything but her screams. His skin still burned from what she had done to him. Maybe he had woken because of the sting of his injuries and her pleads for death were only background noises.

He had learned from Cara and a few others that just being around Richard could be life-changing in itself. He was beginning to understand why. He rubbed the back of his hands as he thought about his little brother. He had only been with him on his travels for less than a day, but he could still feel something left behind. Not one of his soldiers in the past would have defended his life because they thought it meant something. They would have done it out of fear or because they wanted a reward that only he could provide. But Richard, who killed him once and made it quite clear that he didn't appreciate his company, had saved his life for nothing at all. Sure, he had needed the knowledge on how to use the Stone of Tears, but Rahl still felt as if his brother would have saved him even if he was no use to him.

He did have to admit though, that Richard had saved him from the evil clutches of the Keeper more than once and by repairing the veil, he had done it again, that time sealing his fate for eternity. The rift was sealed, so if the Creator forgave him for his past actions, he would never have to hear the Keeper's putrid voice ever again. The main problem was that, if the Creator didn't forgive him for his actions prior to his second death and even what he had done in the Underworld, he would be sent back to the Keeper to have an eternity of the Keeper's wrath and torture. The obvious fix to his little problem was to gain the Creator's forgiveness. And what better way to do that than turn his life around. No more killing. He didn't serve the Keeper anymore. He would never have to kill a person for his own survival ever again. He was going to change his life. Now all he needed was a life-changing person…

A loud bang came from outside his bedchambers. Then, his door swung open to reveal a bloody-faced servant girl in a thin, white robe. She was breathing heavy, the burdened rise and fall of her chest clearly showing that the loss of blood was going to be the cause of her nearing end.

"What is it?" Darken Rahl commanded, his voice hiding every ounce of doubt that nothing was wrong. He threw the sheets off of himself as the servant girl dropped to her knees, choking on her own saliva. He remembered his new plan to save his life after death, but soon realized that the female before him was beyond saving. She had four poison-tipped arrows jutting out from her back and blood oozed through her white robe, small droplets hitting the floor beneath her with a light splash. Blood dripped out of her mouth onto her chin and traveled down her neck to soak into the top of her robe. Rahl noticed that there weren't going to be many places where he could see the white for much longer. She was beyond saving.

"Lord Rahl," she choked, coughing up blood onto the tiled floor, "We have a problem."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Hazy sunlight filtered through the trees of the forest, giving it a dreamy glow. When the light cascaded down to fully hit the ground in all its glory, the woods had ended. Richard looked ahead to spot the town he had been hoping for. Zedd stepped on a twig, its crackle being the only noise for the past few minutes. No one was talking, making it seem as if they were all mad at each other. Of course they weren't, but the silence was unusual. Kahlan picked a small piece of fruit off a nearby tree before she stepped into the field ahead, leaving the multitudes of trees behind her. She took a tasty bite, then wiped her face with her sleeve as the juices trickled down her chin sending a light tickling sensation. It felt good to be able to eat like this again. It was as if her old life was really gone. As if she could start over and do anything she set her mind to. Whatever it was though, she would do it with Richard. She looked over at him and smiled. The Seeker would always need his Confessor.

Zedd could barely wait to get to the village below the hills. Before they bought any horses, he was going to have a nice hot meal at the nearest tavern and maybe even a nap under a tree. But there was definitely no possible way that he was going anywhere without filling his stomach first. He had been listening to it growl for the past four and a half hours and he wasn't going to stand for listening to it any longer. And that was final. No one would be able to change his mind and he would dig his heels into the ground to make sure of it.

As the four of them cleared the field and came to the front gates of the town, a crowd stood in their way, their backs to Richard. They hadn't noticed them. Apparently something else was drawing everyone's attention. Kahlan stepped forward and a few people, upon seeing her white Confessor's dress, acknowledged her and took a glance at her companions. When a few people recognized Richard, the man who had saved them from the Keeper, all attention was directed toward him.

"It's the Seeker!" one woman called. Everyone turned from their original position to see him. Hands were held out in greeting and people called their thanks and blessed the Creator. Others held out money while other offered food. Some offered drinks at the tavern, free of charge, which Zedd agreed to immediately, leaving his friends to laugh at his uncontrollable need for food. Well, two of them. Cara stood behind Kahlan, her arms folded, showing her displeasure with the sight laid out before her. In her point of view, Richard was the true Lord Rahl. He shouldn't be spending his time at one small village for more than a few hours.

"What exactly are you planning on doing here?" she whispered in his ear, loud enough to be heard over the sound of the crowd "We shouldn't stay here very long. We have places to be. You're wasting time."

"Really, Cara," Richard smiled, turning to her, "The world has just been saved. We have plenty of time to waste. Enjoy this moment. It's the beginning of never having to rush anywhere. We can stay here as long as we want without a care in the world. We don't need to be anywhere right away. Aydindril can wait a few days for the Mother Confessor. There's no such thing as wasting time anymore. Cara, try to enjoy yourself. There's no more fighting. No more violence. You can start over. You never have to feel the pain of an Agiel ever again. You never have to wear the title of a Mord-Sith. You can just be Cara from now on. Find work. Make a living. You can do anything you want now. You can be anyone you want to be."

"I am Mord-Sith," she replied heatedly, "I am not ashamed of what I am. I will always wear my Agiels proudly. There is nothing else I want to be."

Kahlan rested her hand on Cara's shoulder. "Cara, Richard's right. You can have the life you wanted before you were a Mord-Sith now. Don't you want that? No more fighting. No more trouble. No more threats. Richard and I are safe now. The Keeper has been defeated. He cannot return to the land of the living. Only the Creator can guide us now."

Cara folded her arms again, scowling. "I am Mord-Sith," she repeated loudly so to get the message across to them. Kahlan smiled apologetically at her and Richard turned back to the people, raising his hand for silence. They quieted down after a few moments. Richard spoke after a long pause of silence.

"To life!" he called, throwing his fist into the air. "To peace!" The people mimicked him, throwing their fist to the sky. "And to freedom!" The crowd erupted in cheer as Richard followed Zedd's trail, heading for the tavern. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he had remembered the existence of food, thanks to Kahlan and her sweet-smelling fruit before. Kahlan followed him, smiling to the waving, excited people around her as Cara was dragged along by some invisible force. These people were probably overjoyed to have the Seeker, the savior of the world of the living, here, at their small village. They probably felt honored, but Kahlan knew that the honor was theirs. The people served them a feast of all different sorts of food, free of charge. Of course they felt Richard and his travelling companions deserved it for saving their lives, but Kahlan, being the Mother Confessor, felt the nagging need to repay them with something material in the back of her mind.

Instead of being led to the tavern, Zedd, Richard, Kahlan and Cara were brought to a high-roofed dining hall. A table with four seats facing outward was set up with flowers and candles. It looked as if they had been expected, but the heavily breathing people running around the room, placing things where they felt they should go gave it away that they had no idea the Seeker of Truth would be arriving anytime soon. Richard felt a bit embarrassed by the excellent treatment he and the rest of the group were given. Although a few people were turned off by Cara's red leather and obvious Agiels, having the Seeker around gave them a confidence boost, so they offered her food and a chair, the same as they did to Kahlan and Zedd.

The food was excellent. The meats had the biggest variety Richard had ever seen. He almost expected to see drool coming out of Zedd's mouth. He didn't look fast enough though, because his grandfather was already stuffing his face before all the plates were on the table. After each of the four of them took at least one bite, everyone else, which looked to be the entire village, sat down to eat and converse with one another. Richard looked around the big room at all its inhabitants. Happy parents watched as their children ran under the tables, chasing one another. Richard guessed they would be yelled at later on because their parents wouldn't want to say anything while he was here. A few of the tables in the back held a group of men who looked as if they just arrived from work. They had short-cut sleeved shirts on which were soaked in sweat. They had wood shavings on them, so he deduced that they had been cutting firewood for the families of the village. They must have been making a supply for the winter because the nights were hot around this time. There would be no need for a fire. He glanced at a few gossiping women on the other side, laughing about something. Another table held three young girls, pointing and giggling at one of the young men at another table. Richard's insides twisted with the joy of the beautiful woman sitting next to him. He could finally live a normal life with the woman he loved. It was what they always wanted. It was what they thought they could never have. And now they could, and it made his heart swell with joy. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he smiled out at all the people who had generously showed him their wonderful hospitality.

Then, a different sight caught his eye. He glanced at an almost empty table right in the middle of the room. It was almost empty because one cloaked man sat in a chair pulled up to it. The person hadn't touched the full plate in front of them and they seemed to be ignored by everyone else. The strange cloaked man suddenly looked up, directly at Richard. Richard straightened his body out, sitting up straight as he saw those familiar blue eyes of his brother staring right into his. Darken Rahl nudged his cloaked head towards the door, then stood up and walked out of the room with a swish, leaving Richard stunned in silence. Kahlan, sensing something was wrong, turned to him.

"Richard? Richard, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly, gently touching the side of his face with the back of her hand.

"Nothing. I just need a little air… I think I'm going to step outside for a bit, okay?" he replied, turning and giving her a reassuring smile. When she reluctantly nodded, he pushed out his chair and made his way to the exit. People looked his way, but luckily, none followed him outside. As soon as the door shut behind him and the noise from the dining hall got quieter with the distance, Richard drew his sword, hearing the familiar ring of steel as it cleared its scabbard. He pointed it right at Rahl's throat. Through the brown cloak, Richard could feel Rahl swallow hard. He slowly raised his hands to show he wasn't armed and flipped the cloak off his head, revealing his face.

"Hello brother," he said, smiling, receiving a light push at his throat, "You certainly know how to throw a party."

"What do you want, Rahl?" Richard spat, his distaste evident in his eyes.

"Don't worry, brother. I'm not here to ruin your little celebration."

"You already have."

"Now don't be cruel," he mockingly whined.

"What do you want, Rahl?" he repeated, louder this time. He pushed the sword father toward the man standing in front of him. Rahl didn't even flinch at the intended threat.

"Pushy, aren't we?" he smirked, looking down at the sword, then back up at Richard. When Richard lowered his arm, Rahl pushed the sword away from his body with two fingers. He began to rub the back of his hand. "I have a bit of a problem," he said sarcastically, as if admitting to a petty crime.

"I can't help you," Richard said, making his answer clearly finalized as he was never going to help him. Whether he was able or unable didn't really matter.

"It's about Sister Nicci."

"She's dead," he said, sheathing his sword, "Cara shot her with an arrow in the neck before we sealed the veil." He turned back to the door, showing that he was finished talking with him.

"Wrong."

"What?" Richard asked, stopping in his tracks and turning back around.

"You're not deaf, brother, are you? I think you heard me."

"What did you do?" he asked, feeling his anger rise. He pulled out his sword again and pointed it back at Rahl's throat, taking one threatening step toward him so their faces were inches apart. "Answer me!"

"I thought we were past this," he said in a mock whining tone, pointing to the sword.

"I thought I told you to answer me," Richard hissed, pushing so far into Rahl's neck that he had to take a step back so as not to get cut by the blade.

Seeing as Richard wasn't going to back off like last time, Rahl just answered in a bored tone, "I had one of my Mord-Sith give her the breath of life after you killed her. She did something to me that made me think that she didn't deserve such a peaceful ending." He smiled, remembering her screams. "So I brought her back to give her the death she deserved."

"Where's the part where you screwed up?" Richard growled.

"First of all, it appears your friend Cara may be one of three Mord-Sith that are left in the world. Nicci killed five of my remaining seven, leaving me with barely any protection at all." He rubbed the back of his hand and smiled. "Second, Nicci managed to escape while I was asleep. I thought I was listening to her screams, but it was actually my Mord-Sith and my two servants' cries for help." He smiled again as Richard loosened his grip on the Sword of Truth. "As I'm aware, you aren't exactly on good terms with Sister Nicci." He paused for a moment. "Neither am I."

"How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"What reason would I have to trick you, brother?" Rahl asked, spreading his arms. "You've already saved me from the Keeper. I'm in your eternal debt. But, unfortunately, I need your help once again. As much as I dislike asking you for your lovely assistance," he spat, then went back to his usual smile, "it appears I require it anyway. When you put me into this body I lost all the magic I had in my previous life. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't need your help now. I wouldn't even be here. You probably wouldn't have ever seen me again in your pathetic life if I had my magic."

"So you want me to help you kill Sister Nicci?" Richard asked, circling Rahl and pointing his sword as if he were a piece of prey. Rahl still didn't flinch.

"I'm surprised it didn't take another hour for you to understand, dear brother," he smiled, rubbing the back of his hand again.

Richard didn't know what to do. Even if he didn't help Darken Rahl, Nicci would come for him eventually, and he'd end up having to kill her anyway. Either way, he'd be assisting Rahl. Last time he trusted his brother, he had been deceived, but he had also learned a few things that changed his point of view on him. They weren't major facts that made Rahl seem like a better person, because he was still the tyrant Richard knew him to be. The things he had learned just provided him with answers and reasons for Rahl's actions. They didn't justify all the killing because that had been a purely selfish reason, but others were different from what Richard had originally thought. And Ren, the Listener, had told them that Rahl's head was filled with confusing thoughts. That was probably the single reason Richard didn't kill his brother where he stood. Ren had told them, in different words, that Rahl might have regretted what he did. But, then again, he might have enjoyed it. The fact that even Rahl himself didn't know what he felt on the subject proved that his heart might have not been so hollow at one point in his life. This triggered Richard's instinct to help another, no matter what they've done in the past… Even if it was Darken Rahl, the tyrant who tried to enslave the world. Kahlan had taught him a valuable lesson when he found out about her powers. It was that everyone deserved a second chance, not just the confessed. As much as he despised Darken Rahl, and however many second chances life gave him in the past, something deep inside Richard told him that his brother couldn't be _all_ bad…


	2. Progress

**Chapter Two: Progress**

Richard paced around Darken Rahl, thinking about the situation. His sword was in his hand, always at the ready. He didn't feel comfortable sheathing it when the circumstances were suspicious enough. The last thing he needed was a knife in the back because he let his guard down. Rahl wasn't trustworthy for obvious reasons. Richard couldn't take his words to heart. If Nicci really was alive again, as he heard, then she wouldn't be happy with either of them. Richard wondered who she would try to get revenge on first. His rational guess was Rahl because his magic was gone. She would eliminate the obstacles before she reached her goal.

The Keeper was gone. The Sisters of the Dark were gone. Zedd, Cara and Kahlan had given him the full account of what he had missed when the tear in the veil had torn them away from each other. He learned from them how, after he had jumped over the rift, Nicci found them and absorbed Kahlan's Han and used her Confessor's power against her, making his beloved a slave. Zedd and Cara, trying to catch up to them, had met up with four Mord-Sith, who claimed that Darken Rahl had sent them to aid the Seeker on his quest. Richard still didn't know if that was true. It could have been a trick. Anyway, he didn't feel like asking. He didn't care that much what Rahl chose to do with his Mord-Sith.

After Zedd, Cara and the four Mord-Sith caught up to Nicci and Kahlan, Cara shot Nicci in the back of the neck with an arrow, severing her spine from her brain cord and leaking blood into her windpipe. According to Cara, she had drowned in her own blood. Since the Sister had used Kahlan's own power against her, even death didn't break the bond, and she was pushed into the Con Dar. She ran off on horseback, after Richard to get the Stone of Tears. Meanwhile, Richard was being blindly led by the Keeper, who had disguised himself as a young boy who had lost his family. When Kahlan caught up to him, the Sisters of the Dark had trapped her, and Richard, not knowing that the boy was the Keeper himself, gave him the Stone of Tears. By doing this, he had fulfilled the prophecy that said the son of Brennedon would give the Stone to the enemy of the light.

Richard had acted to save Kahlan from the Sisters of the Dark, not knowing that she was in the Con Dar. After fighting off the Sisters, Kahlan stabbed and killed Richard, bringing her out of the clutches of her own power. Luckily, Cara wasn't far behind, and she gave Richard the breath of life. Kahlan's tears had created another Stone, fulfilling the second prophecy that said as long as the Mother Confessor's pure heart beats, the Keeper is doomed to fail. They brought the new Stone to the Pillars of Creation and sealed the veil to the underworld. The land of the living was no longer walked by the dead and the Keepers minions were send back to their rightful place.

Now here stood the cause of all this trouble, asking for his help. Rahl was looking straight ahead, rubbing the back of his hand, waiting for an answer. Richard had been pacing around him for a few minutes, thinking about what he should do. He knew he was going to have to talk with Kahlan first about it. If they decided to trust him, both their lives would be affected.

"I'm going to go talk with Kahlan, Zedd and Cara," he said with authority, "If you honestly want our help, you'll stay right here. We'll come to you when we've made our decision." Richard finished pacing and stood in front of his brother, waiting for a reply. Darken Rahl just closed his eyes and tilted his head down to the right in a slight bow. Richard saw a smirk on his face. If Rahl thought he still had power here, he was soon going to find out just how wrong he was.

Richard dramatically sheathed his sword and turned back to the building behind him. When he opened the big wooden door, the noise from the conversing and laughing people hit him like a metal bat. He could remember that, just an hour or two ago, he had been thinking about his new future with the woman he loved. About the children they would have together. About their grandchildren. About how peaceful their lives could finally be. Now here he was, realizing that if his friends agreed to help Rahl, they would have to wait for that future. It almost seemed like a dream to him. Like something he could imagine to the greatest possible reality of his mind, but he could never actually have it. He fiercely shook his head. That wasn't true. Even if they helped Rahl, it wouldn't take very long to track down Nicci. They would find her, deal with her in whatever way was necessary, and then they could go back to this life of pleasure and relaxation. This new task was only a minor setback. He and Kahlan would be wed together after Nicci was taken care of.

Richard walked back over to his seat and sat down, noting how all the people in the room were taking swift glances at him and then the door where he had just entered, as if it held a secret or two about whatever the villagers were wondering about.

"Better?" Kahlan asked, her deep blue eyes melting his heart. He smiled at her unconvincingly and her relaxed expression vanished. "What is it?"

"It's Rahl," Richard whispered. He had intended for only Kahlan to hear him, but Cara, on his opposite side, had listened in and understood the one word in the world that she didn't want to hear and comprehended why Richard had left the building.

"I'll take care of him," she said confidently, getting up out of her chair and flipping the two Agiels into her hands. She strode to the door as the children scampered as far away from her as possible. Their parents watched her worriedly.

"Cara, _no_ ," Richard said forcefully, jumping out of his seat to follow her. Kahlan and Zedd followed swiftly after him.

"What's going on?" Zedd muffled through a mouth full of fried pork and string beans.

"Richard said Darken Rahl is back," Kahlan clarified.

"Rahl!" Zedd cried, nearly all the food spilling out of his mouth as they exited the dining hall. "Where is he?"

"Right here," Cara said, smirking. Zedd looked over to find the Mord-Sith clutching Darken Rahl's hair and pulling his head back, an Agiel an inch away from his throat. Kahlan heard him swallow hard. The mouse was caught by the cat.

"No, Cara," Richard repeated firmly and the Mord-Sith roughly let go of Rahl, pushing him forward a couple steps. She had her Agiels close to his back.

"Is that really necessary, Cara?" Rahl asked, his smile returning. It earned him another push.

"Rahl told me that Nicci is still alive," Richard told Kahlan and Zedd.

"Alive?" Cara asked, not wanting to be left out, seeing as she was being ignored. "I doubt that. I killed her myself."

"Not everyone's perfect," Rahl mumbled, earning a third push. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I had my Mord-Sith give her the breath of life soon after you killed her. I took her to the nearest temple to have them train her, but their incompetence was embarrassing. Nicci escaped, leaving me with only two injured Mord-Sith left in the entire temple. Not even the servants survived."

"To bad she didn't kill you, too," Cara replied bitterly.

"Do you believe him?" Kahlan asked Richard. Darken Rahl looked at his brother to see what his response would be. If he knew anything, it was that Richard made most of the decisions. And once he made them, the other three would follow.

Richard looked at Rahl. Without breaking eye contact, he replied, "Yes." Rahl smirked at Richard's tone. It was as if he didn't believe the word came out of his own mouth. "Something funny about that?" he asked.

"Oh, no, dear brother. I'm just a bit shocked," he said, still smirking.

"Richard," Zedd warned, "Are you sure?"

"Oh, Zeddicus. You always have some trick or another up your sleeve. I don't think I would want to try and trick Richard with you around," he mocked.

"You're in no position to act like you're better than everyone," Kahlan said, whirling on him, "Richard is putting his good faith in what you've told him. I wouldn't jeopardize that if I were you."

"I'm not jeopardizing anything, but his good faith isn't what I came here for," he said, "And I'm no better than my little brother. I'm quite aware of that."

"You're no better than the dirt stuck under my boot," Cara spat.

"Of course, Cara," he said, dismissively waving a hand.

Kahlan turned back to Richard. "What does he want?"

"He wants our help in tracking down Nicci," he replied, "Apparently she's a threat to him now."

"And you believe everything he's told you?"

"I'm quite a convincing person," Rahl added sarcastically.

"That's why I'm worried," she mumbled.

"Yeah, I believe him," Richard said, "I think we should find Nicci. At least to see what she's been up to. I don't want any more chances of being killed in my sleep when all this is over."

"Wonderful," Rahl smiled, beginning to walk away, "I'll go get my Mord-Sith and we can go find Sister Nicci then."

"I don't think so," Cara said, grabbing his hair again and pulling him, "Richard just said he didn't want any more chances of being killed in his sleep. That means that you and your Mord-Sith are going back to wherever you came from, and you can let your superiors handle the Sister of the Light, since, as you said before, your Mord-Sith are incompetent."

"No," Richard said, "Let him go, Cara. He's going to come with us so we can watch him. If you send him away, he's more likely to be able to kill me in my sleep." He turned his head and pointed off in the direction Rahl was head to before Cara grabbed him. "Go get your Mord-Sith. Meet us north of here by the edge of the forest at sunset."

"Very well," Rahl said, and then walked off until he rounded a corner and couldn't be seen anymore.

"I don't trust him," Cara said.

"That's a surprise," Zedd said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"And what, wizard? You trust Darken Rahl? You think it would be perfectly fine to put him in a bed next to Richard as he sleeps? You think there is no possible way that the man who was just recently trying to kill your grandson is now trying to do the very same thing? You think the tyrant who was working for the Keeper his entire life has absolutely zero chance of working for him now? I don't know whether or not Nicci really was brought back to life, but I've accepted the possibility. I don't know if Darken Rahl is a threat, but I know I'm going to be extra alert whenever he's around any of you. I refuse to let any harm come to Richard or Kahlan because I didn't accept the possibility that Darken Rahl is just using us to get what he wants."

"I understand your concern," Zedd said, honesty in his tone, "And I feel the same way you do. But it isn't Rahl that I trust. It's Richard and his judgment of the situation that's been presented to him. Richard is the Seeker of Truth. I don't think he would easily believe a lie. Especially one from Darken Rahl. I believe that Richard may have seen some honesty in that man. I may not agree with that, but, Seeker or not, I'll be damned before I don't trust my own grandson." Zedd turned back to the dining hall where Kahlan and Richard were headed and Cara followed him silently. When Richard entered the large room, he wasn't surprised to see many of the people looking around as if there were some invisible threat in the building. Richard went to the platform behind the table where they sat and raised his hands in a call for silence. When the noise died down, Richard's loud voice reached the corners of the room and back again.

"People of this village. I would like to thank you for your generous hospitality to me and my friends." He waved his hand to his left, indicating Kahlan, Zedd and Cara. "The food was wonderful and I would like to give my honest regards to your cooks for this meal on such short notice." He paused for a brief moment. "I would now like to apologize for having to leave on such short notice." A whisper rippled through the people. "An urgent matter requires the Mother Confessor and my immediate attention, and I'm genuinely sorry for having to leave so soon. I was looking forward to enjoying my time here." Richard stepped down from the platform in a bit of a rush and walked to the exit. Anxious eyes watched as he and his companions made for the door. He knew that the people of this village would be upset about his departure, and he cursed Rahl for it. It was his fault the children were trying to get past their parents to run over to them as they neared the gates to the village entrance. Richard really had been looking forward to enjoying his time here. He had planned on having a warm bed to sleep in for the first time in almost half a year. Now it looked like he was going to have to wait even longer. He regarded the woods ahead with familiar detachment. He had grown up in the forest. He learned about the outdoor life and became a woods guide in his home village in Hartland across the boundary. The trees and the wildlife brought back joyous memories of his childhood in Westland.

Thinking of his home made Richard's heart sink. He remembered his guardian father, George Cypher, and how the D'Harans had murdered him. Richard had held his father in his arms before he died. Once again, Darken Rahl was to blame. He remembered his brother, Michael, and all the hardships he went through to get him back on his side. Michael had been very confused and he was manipulated by the D'Harans who invaded Hartland when the boundary went down. Right after he and his brother were on good terms again, he had died at the hands of an enemy. This too, was Darken Rahl's doing. The more he thought about the past, the more his anger rose at Rahl. The deaths of his family and the people he loved and cared for were dead because of that man. His mother had been killed by one of Rahl's Mord-Sith before he even had a chance to tell her who he was. What was he doing, helping Darken Rahl? Was he out of his mind? He agreed to help the tyrant that brought pain and anguish to the people of this world and even brought harm to them in the Underworld. He agreed to help the man who destroyed his home and sent gars to feast on the population there, the people he grew up with. Rahl forced his armies to use whisperers, weapons of dark magic, on innocent lives because they had offered Richard food and shelter at one point in time. Once, Richard and Kahlan and stumbled upon a village that had given them shelter for a few hours, almost seven months prior to that time. All the men, women and children were scattered, dead on the ground, their ears still bleeding from the dark magic released from the whisperer that had been used to murder them all. Darken Rahl had mutilated defenseless women and children in that village, all because a few of the town's members offered him a place to sleep for part of the night. Richard, Zedd and Kahlan had been forced to turn down any offers of help from anyone from that point on or Rahl would kill them as well. And this had all been for the three Boxes of Orden. For Darken Rahl to gain the Power of Orden to rule the world as he would have chosen. That was the reason he had killed Richard's family and fed the people he grew up with to the gars. For unlimited and unprecedented power.

Richard stopped walking when they reached the edge of the forest on the right side. It would be another twenty minutes or so until sunset. He leaned back and sat in the tall grass, thinking about what he did, what he should have done and what his mind was telling him to do. What he did was simple. He told Rahl that he would help him find Sister Nicci, and kill her if absolutely necessary. He had given a man who was always trying to kill him his consent to travel with him and his friends. His main concern was for Kahlan. He knew that he would keep an extra eye out to make sure she was always safe. What he should have done seemed to be telling Darken Rahl to go find someone else to help him. That they were never going to because of the horrible things he did in the past. Not just to them, but to other innocent people. He had torn apart families, struck magnificent cities into poverty by taking all their money. He had even used magic to try and manipulate the natural powers of the gifted. The first time Richard had drawn a sword to Rahl was when he had Kahlan locked up for experimentation. He had a wizard name Giller put dark magic into her body to try and create Confessors for Darken Rahl and his army to control others with. Richard had been chained up and all he could hear were Kahlan's screams and cries for Rahl to stop his wizard. That was the first time she ever went into the Con Dar. Rahl's spirit was immune to confession, so he managed to escape, but the Mord-Sith and other soldiers he had in that temple were confessed. Currently, Richard's rationale was telling him that he was helping the man who had caused the woman he loved all that pain in the past. He could never forgive him for the suffering he caused. But the third thought was what his mind was telling him to do. He knew that Rahl was his brother by blood. They had the same father. And he felt a compelling obligation to accept Rahl as his brother. Whether he forgave him or not, which he never would, wasn't the issue. The few reasons Rahl gave him to try and justify all the killing he did was never going to justify it, but the fact that he _tried_ to justify it meant that he regretted it. And that regret was what fuelled the compelling feeling for Richard to accept his brother. Like Kahlan said, everyone deserves a second chance. If he didn't give a reason for the killing, or even if he had gloated about it, then Richard would have killed him as soon as he saw his face. But Darken Rahl wasn't bloodthirsty. Richard could at least tell that much. There was a part of his brother, and he didn't know how overpowering that was part was over the rest of him, that still felt a want for power. Richard also knew that there was a least dominate part of him that longed for a life like Richard wanted. Peaceful, relaxing, without anyone to threaten you, and for Richard, spending time with the people he loved. He guessed Rahl would want such a life because people always want what they've never had. He wondered whether or not if Rahl would go back to wanting power if he had too much of a peaceful and relaxing life. He seemed like the type of person who was childish in what they desired most. Like if he couldn't have something, he would do something else to get it. Something bad.

"What are you thinking about?" Kahlan asked, walking over to sit down next to him, "Darken Rahl?" She put her hands behind her for support as she leaned back enjoying the last bit of sun before it disappeared behind the mountains.

"I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, Kahlan," he said, reaching out for advice or support.

"I believe in what you think is right. If you think that helping Rahl is the best thing to do right now, then I'm with you, Richard. I will always stand by you." Richard cradled Kahlan's face in his hand as he smiled at her.

"I know. And thank you." He looked up at the purple sky over the mountains, blocking the horizon. He looked back into Kahlan's bright blue eyes. They always held the answers for him. But not now. "My actions seem to be different than what I believe is right in this situation."

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I think I agreed to help him because of the Wizard's First Rule: People will believe a lie because they want it to be true, or because they're afraid it might be true. I'm believing what I want to instead of using my head." His anger began to rise. "That man killed my father. He killed my brother. He killed innocent people for helping me. He slaughtered women and children when they didn't give him what they wanted. He took you away from me." Kahlan's eyes seemed to be understanding, but Richard knew that his feelings were his and his alone. "Kahlan, he tortured you. He had his wizard preform dark magic on you. He nearly killed you." His voice lowered. "He almost took you away from me. He was going to send you to the Underworld because he was a Baneling. I couldn't bear it if I knew the Keeper had you." He gently grabbed her shoulders, looking into her eyes. He desperately wanted all the answers to be there. He would even settle for getting lost in her eyes for eternity. "Kahlan," he said desperately looking for someone to give him the answers, "The man that I've just decided to help killed your sister, Danee. He destroyed the race of Confessors. Please just tell me that what I'm doing is wrong so I can send him away." Kahlan looked at the grass between her crossed legs.

"Richard, maybe you don't want to send him away because you think he's changed. Because maybe he's learned something from the Keeper's betrayal and disloyalty. Maybe he's learned a lesson that made him a better person somehow." She looked back up at him. "But I'd like to make one thing very clear. It wasn't Darken Rahl who killed my sister. It was Cara. And I would trust Cara with my life. She has become one of my dearest friends, and I would give my life for hers in an instant."

"Cara was working for Darken Rahl. He gave her orders to kill your sister. It's his fault she died."

"But she decided to obey those orders and kill my sister anyway. She had a choice to defy him and she didn't. Rahl might have killed her if she disobeyed him, but that didn't make it right for her to kill my sister to save her own life." She paused, thinking about her own words. "Cara no longer works for Rahl, and Darken Rahl was working for the Keeper, who betrayed him. Rahl no longer works for the Keeper, but he could have chosen not to kill innocent people, like my sister, and he didn't. He had a choice to defy the Keeper, and he, like Cara, chose not to. He didn't have a right to take lives to save his own. In a way, Rahl is just like Cara. Maybe you trust him now for the same reason you trusted her before." She looked over at the top of the nearest hill. Cara was calling to them; the signal that Darken Rahl was approaching with his two Mord-Sith. She quickly turned back to Richard. "Just remember that Cara killed many innocent lives too, and look at how you feel about her now. Just because she was tortured when she was young didn't mean that she had the right to kill others. The same concept may stand for Darken Rahl." Richard stood up, offering Kahlan a hand. She accepted it with a small smile and stood up next to him. "Maybe that's why your actions are different than what you believe. Maybe your instincts are different than your thoughts." She smiled and began to walk over to the hill where Cara and Zedd stood, their heads held high. Richard didn't follow her immediately. Instead, he left some room between them so Rahl would see him standing alone when he came over the crest of the hill.

Just as Darken Rahl had told them, he came with two Mord-Sith walking behind him on each side. They looked to have recently suffered minor injuries. They wore their red leather and their expressions showed that they were extremely cautious, despite Rahl's calm demeanor. Their hands were close to their Agiels, and they looked as if they might be expecting an ambush. They didn't trust Richard as much as he didn't trust them. He guessed that their main fear would be Kahlan, since a Confessor's touch was deadly to a Mord-Sith. They seemed to have their gazes locked on her anyway. Darken Rahl looked around for a moment, noticing that only three out of the four of them were at the crest of the hill. He noticed Richard, locked eyes with him for a moment, and then went back to meeting up with Zedd, Kahlan and Cara, since they seemed like the people waiting for him. Cara slowly folded her arms across her chest and looked down at him, seeing as she picked the tallest part of the hill to stand on. Kahlan wore her Confessor's face; no emotions revealed on the outside. Zedd was being Zedd. He knew that his magic wouldn't work against a Mord-Sith, so he just stood there, also looking down at Rahl. Although he didn't need a tall part of the hill to stand on to tower over the others. He was plenty tall by himself.

"Well if it isn't my good old friends," Rahl said, spreading his hands as if he expected a hug. "I never thought I'd see you here."

"Very funny," Cara growled, turning around, "Let's get moving. We can't waste any more of our brain cells listening to our 'good old friend' crack jokes all day." She headed toward Richard, listening carefully in case they decided to stage an attack from behind her.

"How do you put up with her?" Rahl asked, following.

"Cara is our friend," Kahlan said heatedly, "We don't 'put up' with her. We respect her judgment and you should do the same."

"Very well then," he mocked, "Next time I feel like lightening up the mood, I'll keep in mind that I will be destroying your brain cells in the process." He looked around as if checking if he was accurate. "It is a bit tense around here. Maybe wasting some of your brain cells would do you some good." Then he passed Kahlan, following Cara to Richard at the bottom of the hill. His Mord-Sith followed cautiously behind him, turning around every now and again, acting inconspicuous with their actions. Richard noticed that they weren't the only tense ones in the area. He remembered that not all Mord-Sith were as laid back as Cara, which was really saying something. Their open show of anxiety made Richard feel like there was danger about, but he knew that the danger to them was primarily Kahlan.

Another thought that crossed his mind was the fact that Darken Rahl had left his Mord-Sith behind when he went to talk with him. Was it supposed to be a sign of trust? Rahl had come to him unarmed and without any guards. He left himself open to any attack. Richard knew that if the people of the village had recognized him, some of them might have tried to harm him. It made all of it seem like a trick more than anything. Then, Richard thought of Kahlan's words. If Rahl was like Cara, Richard wasn't going to be able to just hand over his friends' trust to him. He was going to have to earn it himself. Richard could help him, but he could only do so much… He would help him. If Rahl was like Cara, he would want his friends to trust him as well. He now knew the difference between his previous thoughts and his instincts. He silently thanked Kahlan for helping him understand what vital thought he had been missing.

"So good to see you again, Richard," Rahl said when he had gotten close enough to be heard without yelling. "I was beginning to think you had decided to leave when I only saw your friends at the top of the hill." He came to a halt in front of him. "You don't know how relieved I was when I saw you standing down here."

"I can imagine," Richard replied genuinely. Rahl looked at him with an expression he couldn't exactly identify. Richard knew what Rahl had meant, despite his sarcastic tone. He had been relieved to see that he wasn't going to be left alone with people who disliked him so much. Currently, Richard was the only person out of the four of them that had some trust in Rahl, and he knew that Rahl could easily sense that.

"Where should we start?" Cara asked as Kahlan and Zedd made it over to them. They knew she was referring to finding Sister Nicci.

"It's already sundown," Richard replied, looking at the edge of the mountains in the distance where the sun had set a few minutes ago. "We should start by finding a place to set up camp."

"I think a good night's sleep would be a great start," Kahlan agreed, looking at Richard in a way that told him that she was going to try and trust Rahl if he was. Zedd looked back and forth between them, knowing that something had happened that he missed. Cara did the same, followed by Rahl, although Richard felt he may have gotten a bit of the point. If he did though, he hadn't shown any signs of it. His Mord-Sith were still watching Kahlan warily.

"What are your names?" Richard asked in a friendly tone.

"This is Radine," Rahl answered, waving a hand to his left, "And Zana," waving his other hand to the right.

"Pleasure to meet you," Richard said, giving the impression that he would have rather heard their names from the two of them instead of Rahl. He knew that his brother was going to need to learn a few things if he was going to travel with them. The first things were going to be equality and respect.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Dear Fans and other unanimous readers,

Yay, chapter two! Phew. Sorry that took so long. Last week was exam week and I needed a break from using my brain. So, how'd you like the second chapter? I thought it came out okay. At least it came out how I planned this time. That was a major plus. Unfortunately, that rarely happens. I've been told that it doesn't make a difference, but you're the readers. Of course it doesn't make a difference to you! You don't have the other idea stuck in your head after you publish the chapter! ...Roar.

So, I also got a couple emails from people asking me about a few things. I'd like to make it clear that this fic is based completely off the TV show. Not the books. So, if you've read the books, you know that there really aren't any such things as Banelings, Kahlan is the last Confessor, Richard is the "Lord Rahl," etc. I am NOT using the books as a reference. What I am trying to create is like a third season for the Legend of the Seeker TV series. NOT THE BOOKS! So, in my case, Banelings exist, Kahlan is NOT the last Confessor, since her sister is still alive, and Darken Rahl is the Lord Rahl because he's NOT DEAD, and he's not entirely evil. In the TV series, Richard doesn't want to be the Lord Rahl, and Darken Rahl is portrayed as more of having a heart than in the books… Now that that's cleared up… Oh, and I got a review about Cara being one of the last three Mord-Sith. Darken Rahl said that she might be, not that she was, and there will probably be some explanation or another sometime soon. Give me some time. I just had to get through this chapter first. o.0

Thanks again for reading. Expect more chapters to come! :P (Leave a review.)

Yours truly,

-Dark Phyre-


	3. Burn

**Chapter Three: Burn**

When the seven of them reached the first clearing they came across, Richard moved to one side and set down his pack. Kahlan followed suit and placed hers next to his. Cara was still intently watching Radine and Zana from the back of the line, and they were still wary about being so close to a Confessor. Zedd found a small log and grunted as he rolled it over a few times, moving it closer to the center of the clearing. Darken Rahl was calmly watching them. He didn't have a backpack or any supplies for that matter. He was clearly not used to traveling without the other members of his circus. Richard wondered if they were going to have to provide everything for him. Thinking about pampering his brother made him frown. Rahl was going to have to learn that everyone carried their own weight around here. And sometimes, he would have to carry someone else's as well.

Kahlan, Zedd and Cara always worked as a team with Richard, no matter what the task was. Whether it was cooking the food or catching the food, everyone did a part. Sometimes, the women would gather the firewood and hunt while Zedd and Richard prepared the meal for the night. Like he said before, everyone shared the chores.

"This looks like a nice place to stop," Richard exclaimed, trying not to be over-enthusiastic. The company he currently kept was in a tense mood. It seemed like everyone but Rahl, Kahlan and him were on edge. Surprisingly enough, even Zedd was being cautious around Rahl's Mord-Sith. It was obvious by the look in his eyes that he didn't place all that much faith in them. Richard glanced at the ground at his feet. It wasn't that he didn't understand, because he did. It was just that he expected Zedd to put a little more trust in him and his feelings on the matter.

Darken Rahl would have to work hard to get Zedd's trust. And he would have to work even harder to have Cara's. Richard already decided that he would try to help Rahl with that task if he proved that he really meant no harm to them.

Based off of what Richard had seen and what he believed was true, Rahl wasn't there to bring them any harm. He was there to genuinely ask for their assistance in getting rid of Nicci once and for all. Sister Nicci was somewhere out there, probably looking for either Darken Rahl or Richard. What she wanted from them, he couldn't even begin to guess. The Keeper was sealed back into the Underworld. It wasn't as if Nicci still didn't have a choice to work for the Keeper. She could now decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, and she didn't have to be ruled by the idea that she would be tortured for all eternity in the afterlife.

"I really don't care where we stop," Zedd complained, taking a seat on his tree trunk. "As long as there's a place to sleep, I think I'll be fine." He adjusted uncomfortably on the log as Cara sat down next to him. "I'm just a weary old man that needs to rest his bones."

"All right then," Kahlan said, "We'll set up camp here." She looked around at everyone. "Who wants to get some firewood?" she asked.

When no one jumped for the task, Richard spoke, "I think it'll be a warm enough night to sleep without a fire. Plus, we don't need the light of a flame telling everyone where we are."

"What do you mean?" Cara asked, "I thought you said we don't have to worry about stuff like that anymore." Richard could tell that she was just making her point, but the comment wasn't really appreciated all that much.

"Well, now that we know about Sister Nicci still being alive, we don't want to draw any extra attention to ourselves. Even if a lone traveler sees the light, the news of our location may spread to innocent ears. From there, Nicci could easily find out where we've been and pick up on our tracks. If we can help it, I'd like to put that off for as long as possible."

"I agree," Rahl said, and Richard wondered if he was being serious, or uninvitedly joking with him.

"Just in case," Richard continued, trying his best to ignore Darken Rahl, "I'd like to have at least one Mord-Sith keeping watch during our shifts every night."

"I'm going to have to get some sleep eventually," Cara spat, clearly not liking the idea of having one of Rahl's Mord-Sith watching over her as she slept. The malice was so thick between the three of them that Richard though he could almost visibly see it for a moment.

"I'm sure Radine and Zana will be glad to trade shifts with you on some nights," he said calmly. He had a tight grip on his temper, which was a good thing. He wasn't going to get angry. That wouldn't solve anything. It would only create more problems, if that was even possible.

He set the Sword of Truth on the ground next to his pack and pulled out his blanket. He spread it out on the ground and pulled out a pillow that a woman in Hartland made for him for his fifteenth birthday. He missed his home very much.

Cara spat again and made her bed in a clumsy manner, throwing her pack on the ground as her pillow and carelessly getting leaves all over her blanket. Richard frowned at her.

"Cara—"

"It doesn't matter, Richard," she said angrily, "I've decided that I'm going to take the first watch tonight anyway." She forced herself into a proud posture and made her way to the front of the clearing, her arms folded firmly against her chest.

"I refuse to let my guard down while Lord Rahl is asleep," Radine scowled. Richard wondered if she was speaking to him or Zana. She was looking at neither of them while she spoke.

"I don't think Richard would mind if you got a few hours of shuteye while he slept," Cara sarcastically said, smirking at the other two Mord-Sith.

"I wasn't taking about the woods guide," Radine growled, "I was talking about the _Lord_ Rahl." She swept her hand in a fluid motion, indicating Darken Rahl. He was standing behind her, watching as if everyone was there only to entertain him.

"Richard is the true Lord Rahl," Cara snapped, spinning around to face Radine. " _That_ ," she emphasized, disgust dripping from her voice as she flung a pointed finger in Rahl's direction, "is a pompous, overbearing, arrogant _fool_!"

"How dare you!" Zana yelled, stepping forward threateningly.

"Cara," Richard warned, "Back off."

"Isn't that funny, Zana?" Radine asked, mock-laughing to herself. "Our good friend Cara, the Mord-Sith _traitor_ ," she spat the word, "Thinks that this lowly man from a world away from magic is the true Lord Rahl." She laughed to herself again. Richard could see Cara's face slowly getting redder by the second. "And now, the traitor is actually being given orders by this forest-loving excuse for a man—"

Cara lunged at Radine, both Agiels in her hands. Richard raced forward, blocking Cara access to the other Mord-Sith. He felt a sharp pain in his lower back as the attempt at Radine's defense against Cara collided with him instead. He watched with eminent fear at the two Agiels on a path to intersect with his chest. He put up his arms in defense and one of Cara's deadly weapons met the skin on his upper arm. The other, she had managed to stop just in time.

"Stop it!" he yelled at Cara. Then he whipped around to face Zana and Radine, "All of you! There will be no fighting while I'm here! Understand?!" The pain from the Agiels was making it harder for him to yell, but he found the strength to do it anyway. "And _you_ ," he said, turning to Darken Rahl, "Next time you see _your_ Mord-Sith starting trouble, remember who it is they're trying to get angry. Then maybe you'll think about telling them to stop." He turned back to Radine, "But don't think that gives you the excuse to start trouble if Rahl doesn't tell you to stop, because it _doesn't_! I'm pretty sure both of you are old enough to not need someone else to tell you what to do. I think you can make decisions on your own. You're responsible for your own actions and others will judge you by what they are. Like I have just done. Don't forget that." He turned and went back to his pack, shoving his blanket back inside with the pillow that reminded him of home.

"What are you doing?" Kahlan asked, trying to see if he was badly hurt from the Agiels.

Zedd looked at the ground. If there had been something he could have done, he knew he would have. And he knew Richard knew that as well. He had no guilt. Magic was useless against Mord-Sith, and without his magic, Zedd was just an old man. And an old man couldn't stop an annoyed Mord-Sith, let alone three of them.

"I'm taking first watch tonight," he said forcefully, leaving no room for any arguments, " _Everyone_ , go to sleep." He walked over to the front of the clearing and sat down on another fallen tree trunk. "I'm tired of hearing you talk so much."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kahlan woke up to the sound of silence. The still and quietness of the morning was surprising. The birds were all silent. There was no wind to ruffle the leaves in the trees. Not even enough morning dew was on the plants to have the simple sound of dripping water.

She stretched her arms above her head and yawned, sitting up. She looked around. The sun wasn't all the way up just yet. She could feel that it was going to be a warm day.

The previous night mood had been as if someone just died. After the Mord-Siths' little brawl, and Richard's reprimanding, everyone had pretty much gone to sleep without a fuss. Even Rahl's two Mord-Sith didn't have anything rotten to say about not trusting Richard while they slept. At least that was a good thing. If they were going to trust anyone, Richard was the best choice for them. Kahlan guessed that maybe his show of stopping their Agiels, mid-attack, had instilled in them a sort of respect for him. He had certainly proved that he was much more than a 'forest-loving excuse for a man.' She smirked to herself. Oh, Richard was much more than that.

Then, she noticed that not all the beds were full. She had given her extra blanket to Darken Rahl, but now it was empty. So were his two Mord-Siths' makeshift beds.

She walked over to the tree trunk that Richard was now sleeping on. He hadn't woken anyone else up during the night to switch shifts. She worriedly wondered how many hours of sleep he could have gotten, if it was even that much. Richard wasn't one to leave his friends unguarded, but she still hoped that he managed to get some extra sleep in during his watch.

She looked back over at the empty beds. She hated doing it, but she felt like she should tell Richard that they were gone first before waking up Cara and Zedd. It was just that the Richard had more faith in Rahl than anyone else in the clearing, so he seemed to be the most sensible choice for her to wake up first. Richard wouldn't want to give Cara another reason not to trust Darken Rahl, let alone his Mord-Sith. Once again, there were enough problems already. There was no use adding to the pile when it was already so gigantic.

She gently touched his shoulder and gave him a light push. "Richard," she whispered in his ear, "Richard, wake up. It's important." The love of her life shifted slightly, then groaned softly and sat up to look into her eyes.

"Kahlan? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked wearily, rubbing his eyes with the back of his right hand.

"They're gone," she simply said. Richard knew exactly what she was talking about as if they had been discussing the topic for over an hour.

"Don't wake up Cara or Zedd. I'll try and get this resolved without any problems starting up," he whispered, knowing very well that if Cara woke up to find that both he and Rahl were gone, she would go on a rampage. Knowing Cara, the first thought that would cross her mind is that Darken Rahl was setting a trap for him. Richard had obviously considered the idea, but didn't give it much though afterwards. If he believed Rahl was doing anything suspicious, he wouldn't have agreed to this in the first place.

"How?" Kahlan asked, not knowing of anything he could do to solve the current problem. After all, Richard didn't know why they left, or even the direction they went in. "And what do I do if they wake up anyway? You know Cara won't be asleep much longer. She barely sleeps past daylight, and the sun will be up in less than an hour. Plus, when we're all up, Zedd will be awake as well. If you're gone…" Kahlan's voice changed to a sterner one as she continued, "Richard there really isn't anything you can do. Rahl and the two Mord-Sith are gone. If they don't want to be found, then you probably won't find them."

"Kahlan, haven't you realized that they need us? Darken Rahl wouldn't just up and leave. And look," he said, pointing behind her to the center of the campsite, "Radine and Zana left their blankets here. I don't think they would do that unless they planned on coming back for them. Don't you think?"

Kahlan looked back over her shoulder to see what he was talking about. She then nodded to herself in recognition.

Richard stood up and stretched out his arms. He walked over to his bedroll and shoved the dispersed clothing into his pack.

"What are you doing?" Kahlan asked.

"I'm going to intercept him on his way back. And if he doesn't plan on coming back, then I'm going to find him and figure out why. If he dragged us away from that village and those people, he better have a good reason for leaving now." Richard shoved his blanket further into his pack and pulled the leather thong tightly around it so that nothing would escape. He fastened the flap and swung the whole thing over his shoulder. He swiftly checked the knife at his belt and then slipped it back into its sheath. "I'm taking my things with me in case I don't make it back before Zedd and Cara wake up. If you have to move, you won't have to carry my things. You'll already be burdened with Radine and Zana's bedrolls. I don't want to add anything to that if I can help it." He walked back over to the fallen tree trunk he had been sleeping on. He picked up his big leather over-belt and fastened it around his waist. He had taken it off the night before because it became too uncomfortable for his liking. He then made for the area where his sword lay and picked up the weapon by its polished scabbard. He came to the realization that Darken Rahl hadn't taken it while Richard was asleep, which made his thoughts brighten up a little bit.

He swung the leather baldric over his head and swiftly adjusted the scabbard at his left hip. He pulled it out to make sure it would be ready if he needed it. He looked at the polished steel, and then slid it back in, listening to the familiar hiss of metal as it clicked into place. Making sure his pack was steady and balanced on his back, he turned to Kahlan. He walked over to her, kissed her gently on the lips, and then smiled. She smiled back.

"I'll be back soon," he said checking around the area for footprints or markings of any kind to indicate where Rahl and his Mord-Sith had fled to. He spotted an upturned stone a few yards out into the woods, and turned to smile at his love once more before departing.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Richard followed his instincts as a woods guide to find where Darken Rahl had been, and where he hadn't. He had grown up in the forests of the Westland, so there was no one who bested him in tracking. His father and Zedd had taught him everything he knew about tracking and wildlife. He could spot a deer track from a good twenty yards away, determine whether or not it was walking or running, which direction it came from and where it was headed, if it was alert or just minding its own business, and how long ago the tracks had been made. Plus, he knew how to leave track and how to cover them up. It was obvious that Darken Rahl didn't plan on being followed. Richard didn't doubt his brother's ability to think and rationalize. If Rahl didn't want to be followed, he would have made some attempt at covering up his tracks or using a diversion to catch Richard off guard.

Richard followed Rahl's footprints. He instantly realized that Zana had been on his left and Radine had been on his right. The trails weren't that old, so Richard guessed that they left when a little light began pouring through the treetops; a little before sunrise. In fact, maybe only a half an hour ago. It didn't seem like Rahl planned on staying out too long. Richard was under the impression that he was going to come back. There was no valid reason to think otherwise. He hadn't stolen anything, his Mord-Sith had left everything but one pack back at the campsite, and he hadn't covered up his tracks. Of course, he probably wasn't expecting Richard to go after him, but the simple fact that the thought hadn't seemed to enter his mind was a relief. All it proved was innocence; and that was all Richard needed from his brother.

The sound of rushing water made Richard turn. A small stream ran to his left, down a relatively steep mound of grass, roots and dirt and off the nine or ten yards of grass and rocks that followed it. Very few trees lied in that area, and the ones that did were short and thin with a couple green leaves on each tiny branch. The red leather of a Mord-Sith caught his eye instantly. It was hard to miss it, what with all the greens and browns. The red stood out like a light in the dark.

Richard carefully watched his footing as he stepped down from the top of the steep mound, coming closer to the Mord-Sith, who he recognized as Radine. He noticed Zana off in the distance to the right. Getting ever closer, he saw Darken Rahl lying on the ground on his stomach, his shirt off and his head facing away from Richard as he approached the three of them. Radine looked up, startled, when Richard stepped on a dry leaf. Zana must have had heard it as well because she came running.

Looking at Rahl, from the distance that he was, Richard thought the light made his skin look redder than usual. He noted that Radine was holding something as she bent down next to his brother. Zana drew her Agiel and pointed it at him when she became close enough to threaten him with the pain-inflicting leather rod.

"What do you want? Speak!" she demanded, shoving her weapon ever closer as an unrelenting reason, and warning, to answer her question as quickly as possible.

"I just came to make sure everything's all right," he said, holding a hand up, because it was partly true. He glanced over at Rahl. Radine was placing something white on his back. Richard guessed it was an ointment.

"Zana, I wouldn't get my brother angry if I were you. He has a tendency of always getting what he wants," Rahl said in a very bored tone. Richard caught him wince as Radine's hand came in contact with his back. Zana backed away and let her Agiel drop to her side. Richard noted that she didn't put it away. He continued to walk forward until he realized why Rahl had flinched at the Mord-Sith's touch. The redness on his skin wasn't from the morning light. They were burns, and they were all over him.

"What happened?" he asked, finding himself truly caring about Darken Rahl's welfare.

"While you were off delivering the Stone of Tears to the Pillars of Creation, I was busy being boiled alive in my own bath by an extremely persistent Sister of the Dark," he said calmly, as if he were telling a story to a child.

"Nicci?"

"The one and only," he snarled.

"Why?"

"She wanted to know where you were," he said, pausing to wince again as Radine spread more of the white ointment over his burnt skin. "I refused to tell her."

"But she found us anyway," Richard said in his own defense.

"She was very persuasive," he said loudly, squirming uncomfortably as Radine touched his back again.

"Stop that," Richard sternly told the Mord-Sith, earning himself a growl.

"And why would I do that?" Radine spat at him, clearly thinking that Richard's intent was to bring Darken Rahl harm. Richard just shook his head at her.

"Zedd could fix these burns in a few minutes," he stated, "It would save you a lot of trouble," he said to her. "And it would save you some pain," he said to Rahl, trying not to make it too obvious that he was looking down at both of them since he was the only one standing up. "I know that you're aware of Zedd being First Wizard, so why wouldn't you ask him to help you instead of doing all this?"

"And give your lovely friends another reason to think that they're better than me? I'd rather not, dear brother."

"… They don't think that way. They just don't believe that I should trust you."

"And what do _you_ think you should be doing?"

Richard paused. He didn't want to sound like he was siding with Darken Rahl over his friends, but he didn't want to make himself an enemy to his brother. Well, any more than he was before, that is.

"I think that you _believe_ your intentions are good and harmless, but something could easily go wrong because of your… history as the Lord Rahl. Plus, it isn't just Cara, Zedd and Kahlan that don't fully accept your intentions as harmless. It's everyone you've hurt in the past. Many people hate you because you've killed off members of their family, or had one of their loved ones tortured to death or locked in a prison until the end of your rule, and even after then. You've stolen money and supplies from many towns and villages. And many believe you to be evil because you've been my enemy, and I was the representation of hope for all the people whom you mistreated. If you want the people of the Midlands to forgive you for all the bad things you've done, it's going to take a lot of work. And even then, don't expect everyone to forgive you. That's a battle you could never win."

"Yes, I know all that," Rahl said, waving his hand around as he sat up, grabbing his shirt off a low hanging branch nearby. "But you never answered my question, brother. I asked what you think you should be doing, over what your friends believe."

"Rahl, I _only_ do what I believe is right. I understand your question to be something along the lines of if I trust you or not. If I didn't trust you, I would have killed you when I first saw you. I wouldn't have let you anywhere near my friends. That should have been obvious, unless you just wanted me to say it. In addition to that, I don't believe something 'over' what my friends believe. I take their opinions to heart and judge my own actions and beliefs by using theirs as my comparison. I've looked at this situation from many angles, and I believe that what I am doing is the right thing. If that means trusting you, then the answer to your previous question is yes, I _do_ believe that I can trust you."

Darken Rahl rubbed the back of his hand for a moment, just looking into Richard's eyes. What he was looking for in there, Richard could only begin to guess. Maybe he was searching for a reason why he forgave him so quickly, despite the fact that Zedd and Cara weren't behind him in the matter. Maybe he was trying to see if he was lying to him or not. Or maybe he was really was trying to change. If he was going to turn to anyone for advice on that subject, Richard figured that his brother would turn to him first.

"Come on," Richard said, offering Rahl a hand as he got to his feet. He took it with what seemed like a sincere smile. "Let's head back. I'm sure Zedd will be glad to help heal those burns." Rahl flung his shirt over his arm, not wanting to put it back on over his skin until it was healed. "And Cara and Zedd… just don't take Cara literally and try not to be bothered by Zedd. I don't think he'll be as direct as Cara, but he doesn't seem to like the idea of you around us as much as Cara likes teddy bears," he said, smirking.

"You aren't mentioning the Mother Confessor. Doesn't she dislike me as well?"

"Kahlan has promised me she'll try, but I think you'll have to do the rest."

Rahl paused before climbing up the small mound to get back on the trail, and looked curiously at his strange brother. "… Why are you helping me?"

Richard turned to him with a smile on his face. "… Let's just say that I don't believe in the impossible."


	4. A New Enemy

**Chapter Four: A New Enemy**

Richard and Darken Rahl had travelled back through the trails and made their way to their rest stop from the night before. Zana and Radine followed close behind. Richard knew that they were still a bit uneasy being around people that they weren't comfortable with. They understood that Rahl trusted Richard, so they seemed to be getting used to him. Well, as used to a person as a Mord-Sith could become, Cara not included.

Zana seemed to have more trouble adjusting though. Richard watched her movements and realized that she didn't approve of Darken Rahl's trust. She acted as if she truly believed that one of them would try to kill her or Radine or Rahl at any point in time. She never let her guard down for a moment. Radine, on the other hand, was adjusting to Richard's unwanted company with careful steadiness. She wasn't aware of it, but Richard appreciated that more than anything. At least one of them was trying…

The four of them entered the clearing to find Cara, standing in a threatening pose, facing away from them, and towards Kahlan. Zedd was just waking up because of their yelling. It was mostly Cara, but Kahlan seemed to be a little worked up herself.

"I'm telling you, Cara! He'll be fine! If you don't trust him, then that's a problem you'll have to take up with him when he gets back! But for now, he instructed me to tell you to remain here, and he was exceedingly stern about that decision!"

"I trust Richard with my life! That's not the problem here! The problem is that he's being fooled by Darken Rahl! What you don't realize is that he's probably walking right into a trap that they've set for him. And what? You expect me to just stand around until he gets back?!"

"If Richard trusts Rahl, then we need to accept that, Cara," Kahlan sighed, earning herself a scowl.

"You're not being cautious enough around Darken Rahl, and it's going to get you killed," she said simply. "What you don't realize is that Rahl was a tyrant, and he still is. People don't change, Kahlan. Darken Rahl is no exception to that rule."

"What about you?"

There was a slight pause. "What?"

"You used to follow Darken Rahl, Cara. You used to kill for him without a second thought for the lives of the people you murdered. You didn't appreciate the will of life, but now you do. You've changed in a way that made you realize how important life is. You realized how important a second chance can be to a person. It was for you at least. Why won't you trust Richard and give Darken Rahl that second chance? Do you think that you're the only person in the world who deserves it? Do think honestly that's fair?"

"I am different. I was tortured as a child and I was forced into killing. I was given orders that, if I didn't follow them, would hold a punishment of death for me. There was no escape for me or any of the Mord-Sith that were taken away from their families and violated in the worst ways imaginable."

"In a way, Darken Rahl was held by his contract with the Keeper of the Underworld. He was the first Baneling, if you recall. He had to kill every day, or he would have been killed. It's the same situation as you. But that doesn't give you the option of whether or not to give him a second chance."

"He was instructed to kill once a day. If _you_ recall," she said, mocking the Mother Confessor, "Darken Rahl killed many more people than what was required of him to survive. As I'm well aware, I'm not able to determine whether or not to give him a second chance, but he'll get none from me. Although you and Richard and Zedd may give him another opportunity to kill you, I _won't_! I'm done with that bastard! I want him gone. He's using Richard's good heart to get to him! He's pretending to be a person in need to fool him, don't you see? Richard is a fool!"

"Now that's a little harsh, Cara," Richard joked, although there was no humor in his voice. Cara turned to him, unaware that he was behind her. Kahlan looked around the fiery Mord-Sith to find that Richard had returned with Rahl, Zana and Radine. She wondered how long they had been standing there. And how much of her and Cara's conversation they heard.

"And I am far from pretending, dearest Cara," Rahl said, stepping forward to stand next to his brother. The Mord-Sith gathered to each side of him, looking about like wild animals on the hunt. Their red leather creaked as they moved, revealing a deadly aura around the both of them. "Believe it or not, I require my brother's assistance. Because I lost my magic when I was brought back from the Underworld, I have no defenses, save for Radine and Zana here, of course," he said, looking at them as if to say he hadn't forgotten they were there. "Therefore, I need Richard to help me kill Sister Nicci. You can trust me when I say that if there was even a small chance for me to be able to kill her on my own I wouldn't be here right now. So, obviously, there aren't any other options for me."

"Zedd," Richard said to the dreary-eyed wizard, "Rahl was burned by Sister Nicci before we sealed the veil with the Stone of Tears. Could you heal him?"

Kahlan glanced at Darken Rahl's bare chest. It was obviously burned, and badly. Whatever Sister Nicci had done to him, she guessed that it was probably more painful than any ordinary burn you got from cooking your meals. It looked as if it covered most of his body as well. He also looked as if he was still in pain.

When Cara saw the now-obvious burns on her previous Lord, she snorted, partly in shock and partly as if he deserved it.

"Cara," Richard said, gaining her full attention, "Nicci burned Rahl because he wouldn't tell her where we were going with the Stone of Tears."

"That didn't stop her from finding us before we reached the Pillars of Creation, now did it. It looks like you've been fooled again," she added sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the frown she knew she would receive after she made the unappreciated comment.

"Actually, Rahl did tell her where we were headed, but because she was burning him. I'm sure you're familiar with torturing to get the answers you want. The point is that if Rahl really wanted us dead, he would have told her where we were to begin with."

"Oh, please. He only wanted to save his own hide. If we didn't succeed in closing the veil to the Underworld, he would have had an eternity of torture from the Keeper himself."

"Nicci and Rahl were both sided against the Keeper at that point, Cara. Rahl had no reason to not answer her the first time she asked him."

"The second time however…" Cara said, mock-sarcasm dripping from her tongue.

"Don't I have a say in this?" Rahl asked, apparently just wanting some attention directed at himself instead of everyone else as they talked about him as if he weren't standing right there. Richard knew that he honestly didn't care if he had a say in it or not. "Seeing as this _is_ about me."

"You're too soft," Cara told Richard, purposefully ignoring Darken Rahl's comments. Richard guessed that she knew he didn't really care if he had a say in their conversation either. "I'm only trying to protect you. You should know that by now. I mean no harm or offense. I'm just doing what I believe is right."

"I understand that, Cara," Richard said, trying his best to be patient with the red-leathered Mord-Sith standing proudly before him. "I know that your best intentions are there, but I'm trying to tell you to trust me. I believe Darken Rahl means us no harm. Do you honestly believe that I would allow him to be here if I thought his presence could endanger your lives? You should know that I always follow my instincts. If there was a single doubt in my mind, Rahl would be either gone from us or dead right now. I would have allowed you to kill him yourself if he brought you, Zedd or Kahlan any harm."

"I don't trust him."

"You've made that point quite clear. I think every one of us knows how you feel, even Rahl. He'd be a fool if he didn't."

"That's what I'm afraid of…" she added angrily.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Rahl _isn't_ a fool, Richard," she said, almost yelling at him as if he were a naïve child, telling him that not all adults were good people, "I know that like I know myself. He wouldn't be here unless he had a serious reason for it. I believe that there is something else he wants from us. Not just our aid in tracking down and possibly ridding the world of Sister Nicci. And you can be sure that I won't let him have whatever it is he's after." Cara snorted and turned around to grab her pack, making it too clear that she was finished being a part of their conversation. Richard wasn't one to go after the last word of an argument in a situation like this. He was just glad that she had calmed down without things getting out of hand. He knew that Zana and Radine could be easily spooked with Kahlan around them. Every movement she made drew their attention like magnets, even if no one but him noticed it.

"Zedd?" Richard asked, turning to his grandfather, "Are you awake?" Richard knew that Zedd had been awake for a while now, since he had also talked to him previously, so his question was mainly only spoken out of politeness.

Zedd nodded and Richard motioned to the wizard's pack. "Pack your things," he ordered, not just to Zedd, but to everyone, as he did the same. Most of his things were already accounted for since he had packed them prior to leaving beforehand on his search to find Rahl, Radine and Zana. He stole a quick glance down at the Sword of Truth at his hip before walking over to his belongings. He pulled out his bedroll and laid it on the ground at his feet.

When Zedd finished packing a few minutes later, Richard called him over. Darken Rahl was waiting, standing behind Richard, who was crouched down to the ground over his bedroll. Zedd looked over Rahl's burns and nodded once to show that he was well capable of fixing the formerly inflicted damage. Seeing Zedd's nod, Richard stood and left the two of them alone, making his way over to Kahlan.

"Need anything?" he asked, bending down to help her with her packing.

"No. Thank you," she replied, lightly smiling over at him. She shoved the food and medicine into her small backpack and swung it over her shoulders. Her bedroll made a large lump in the bottom of her pack, but it didn't look to be heavy. Richard stood, following as Kahlan straightened out the straps along her shoulders. "Richard," she wearied, turning to face him, "Where do you suppose we should go? We don't even know where to begin to find Nicci. She could be almost anywhere. She could be a mile away from us, in this very woods, or a hundred miles away, trying to get as far away from here as possible."

"I was thinking about that, and I've come to the conclusion that we should start simple, like we did with Darken Rahl. We should travel to a few different towns and villages and see what information we can gather on her whereabouts. We're bound to come across something eventually."

"But Richard, that could take months," Kahlan said, clearly not wanting this to take more time than it had to. Richard understood the feeling. He wanted, more than anything, to settle down a bit and get married to the woman he loved more than anything in the world.

"I know I don't have to tell you how much this… _us_ … how much it means to me. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Kahlan Amnell, and I know that it will happen. It just may take a little longer than I expected." He took her hands in his. "But it's okay because we're together anyway," he smiled, "Right?"

Kahlan cocked her head to the side and smirked at his crooked and yet perfect smile. He was so perfect. All of him was perfect. She couldn't imagine herself with anyone else in the world. She couldn't imagine giving up what she knew she had for any price or object. There was just nothing in the world that could have compared with that crooked smile of his. There was nothing that even came close to the feelings that swelled up inside her when she saw him smile at her. He was certainly one of a kind.

"As long as you're with me," she concluded, finalizing that he'd never leave.

"Always," he grinned, so much that he had squinted his eyes as his smile curved more and more upward.

"All finished," Zedd exclaimed, standing, glad to be done with his admirable work. Darken Rahl stood, his shirt still off, to reveal that Zedd's magic had completely ridded him of all his burns. Zana and Radine looked impressed and a bit shocked. Richard guessed that it was because Zedd had helped him rather than hurt him.

"I am in your debt, Zeddicus," Rahl said, waving a low hand through the air. He wiped off the dirt from the bottom of his pant legs. He then looked around to see who was watching him. He found that everyone was, except for Cara. She was smugly glaring.

"You're welcome," Zedd replied in a monotone voice, turning back to his things. He swung his pack over his right shoulder and walked over to Richard and Kahlan.

"Is everyone packed?" Richard asked, looking around to see if there was any opposition. When no one replied he turned on his heel and started off, his pack strung tightly to his shoulders. "Then let's head out. I figured we could move faster if we made our way to a trail instead of having to travel through a denser woods or whatever else this path would lead us to. So, I'm pretty sure that if we go south," he pointed straight ahead, "we should hit a trail within three miles or so."

"When do you think we'll reach the next village?" Cara asked, crossing her arms over her chest, her red leather creaking as she slowly moved like a predator about to pounce.

"It shouldn't be too far," Kahlan said. "Every trail leads to somewhere, villages included. Plus, I think I know the area. Maybe I've seen it on a map or something, but it's a little familiar to me. I believe Richard is correct in assuming that the trail should be about three miles south, and if we go right and follow that trail for about two or three more miles, we should reach the territory of a town. The last time I heard about this area was in a decision that was made before Darken Rahl came to power. This land was very poor and Aydindril was utilizing as much of its resources as possible to help out. But I'm not sure if the conditions are the same. That was almost two years ago. I'm sorry I don't have any updated information for you."

"That's fine," Richard said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "We'll just have to make do with what we have. We'll see what happens when we get there." They all nodded and followed Richard's self-made trails through the thin woods. Luckily, there weren't many thorn bushes or undergrowth. The land was relatively flat and the ground was covered in a nice layer of dried leaves. It created a useful foothold; especially since there were a few rocks underneath, where they couldn't always see them. Being a woods guide, Richard usually noticed the ones that the rest couldn't see and pointed them out. He warned that a slippery rock or tree root could be more harmful than most other things a person would find in the woods. Plus, under the dried leaves was a fresh layer of wet dirt from the previous rainfall's saturation into the forest grounds. Just because you couldn't see the danger didn't mean it wasn't actually there, whether it was brought to your attention or not. Kahlan made it a point to stay right behind Richard and step where he stepped. If there was any safe way to travel through the woods, it was, by far, matching his footsteps to her own.

After about forty five minutes of paced traveling, Richard raised a hand for everyone to pause and stay still. Luckily, Darken Rahl, Zana and Radine took the message quite well, stopping as Richard silently commanded them to.

They had successfully reached their destination of the trail, and it looked as if someone else was travelling along the path. They had two huge black horses pulling a long wooden trailer with ripped fabric covering the glassless windows. One man was holding the reins while another sat next to him. Although it looked like there were more people in the trailer. They made no indication of noise, other than the horses light breathing and the wheels of the trailer as they hit large rocks on the path below. Richard had seen a few people move from behind the ripped curtains, but that wasn't the reason why he had issued a halt to his following party.

"It's just a group of travellers," Kahlan whispered in his ear, "Why are we stopping like this?"

"You don't see it? The black horses? The ripped red fabric? The silver chainmail? It's not like you've never seen them before, Kahlan," he responded quietly, not believing that she hadn't seen it before.

Darken Rahl slowly came up to them. "They're D'Harans," he stated flatly, "Have you forgotten who you're travelling with? If you don't recall, I'm the Lord Rahl. The D'Harans are under my rule."

"They could be rebels or freedom fighters. You don't know if they'll answer to you or not. It's better just to let them pass and not chance getting into any trouble."

"Why are we still worrying about these guys?" Cara asked doubtfully, "You killed Darken Rahl almost a year ago. Plus, why would there be freedom fighters after all we've done? I don't think they have to fight for their freedom anymore. And if they're rebels… Well, they don't really have anything to rebel _against_ , do they?"

"Rahl," Richard said, after considering Cara's words, "Is it possible that there are still some D'Harans that don't know you're alive again?"

"I doubt that, but it's possible that they've heard it but don't believe it. There was a fraud going around, pretending to be me, but he's been done away with."

"You mean a Lord Rahl imposter?" Richard asked, incredulous to the idea. Why would anyone try to do something like that? Their life would easily be put on a deadly thin line, and before, Rahl would have given them a very painful death. He might still do it even now, Richard thought. If someone tried to take his place as the Lord Rahl... He wondered if he was included in that though.

"Walter was my fault to begin with. One of my officers brought him to my attention, and I agreed to turn him into the perfect replica of myself. My advisors trained him on how to speak and act exactly like me to convince crowds from far away. It was only natural that he was confident in himself after I had died. It had been his _job_ to be the perfect me, or he would have been killed on the spot. One mistake on his part would lead to a lot of confusion on my fans' part," he smirked, "and that wouldn't have gone to well for me, so I made sure Walter knew the consequences of his errors."

"Why would you create another you? You must have known that it was dangerous not only for your reputation, but in case something… _unfortunate_ happened to you, such as Richard killing you," Zedd asked, the word "unfortunate" not quite slipping off his tongue as easily as he hoped it would.

"I guess I got bored with showing up at a bunch of different places just to wave at people and shout a few sentences to get their attention," he replied casually, as if they knew what he was talking about, "It seemed that it was convenient at the time. That was all. I wasn't actually planning my schedule around being killed and then brought back to life again by my brother, Zeddicus," he said, mocking Zedd's previous commentary.

"Quiet," Richard said firmly, dropping to the ground, "They might have heard you. Get down. _Now_." Kahlan dropped down onto her stomach to Richard's left. Cara fell to his right and Zedd next to Kahlan. Luckily, the place they had been standing was a small ridge that they could conveniently get down on their stomachs and not be seen. Rahl slowly crouched down behind Richard, to his left, and Radine and Zana did the same to both sides of Darken Rahl.

Richard chanced taking a look over the ridge and peered around. The horses weren't spooked, but they had stopped and one of the men from inside the trailer had gotten out. Richard could clearly see their D'Haran uniforms now, as each of them glanced outside. The man that was looking around was wearing the familiar chainmail headset and red clothing with the symbol of D'Hara and, possibly, Darken Rahl. The possibility that they were rebels still stood out in his mind.

When the D'Haran soldier started heading directly towards their hiding place above the trail, Richard checked the Sword of Truth in its scabbard. When Kahlan and Cara saw what he did, they too checked their weapons. Cara took both Agiels in her hands, making Radine and Zana do the same, and Kahlan revealed two daggers under her forest green cloak, one on a black strap on each thigh. Zedd didn't need a weapon. His wizard's fire was enough to incinerate any enemy that came his way. Darken Rahl calmly checked a one or two foot long sword at his left-hip baldric, but looked to be unworried about the situation. Richard felt like yelling at him. For all the Lord Rahl knew, these weren't the friendly D'Haran followers that he pictured them to be.

After Darken Rahl's death, many D'Harans were grateful to Richard, the Seeker of Truth, in ridding the world of that tyrant. Unfortunately, they didn't know that the tyrant was gone, despite the fact that Rahl was still alive. If these D'Harans were like the previous soldiers, they would follow Rahl without question. But if they were happy that Rahl was no longer in power, for all they were concerned, they wouldn't. The only thing Richard hoped was that they would listen to him then. He wondered if there was someone else they could be following. Or someone else that they respected enough to listen to.

As the man got closer to them, Kahlan gripped her daggers, preparing to draw them. Richard put a hand out in front of her. She looked at him an arched a fine eyebrow at his unwarranted and unexpected movement.

"Let me talk to him. We don't want to have to fight these people unless we know that they plan to harm us first. We don't want to scare them into fighting either," he whispered. Kahlan had to strain herself and move a little closer to hear him.

Richard lifted his hand off of his sword's handle and scabbard, releasing the tension on the muscles in his arms. He motioned for everyone to stay down as he slowly stood up, showing the D'Haran-clothed man where he was. His hands were slightly raised as the man quickened his pace to meet with Richard. His eyes widened as he realized who it was that was standing before him. Richard took a few steps forward so as not to let the man get so close that he could see everyone else hiding below the ridge behind him, but what he saw when the man got closer made him grip his sword.

The man's eyes were pure white with no pupils. Richard couldn't tell where the man was looking, but he took the unexpected image as a threat. He drew the Sword of Truth, listening to its ring of steel as it entered the world, its magic quickly flowing throughout his body, preparing him for what seemed like the inevitable fight to come.

As soon as his sword was drawn, Kahlan was at his side, a sharp, deadly dagger in each hand. Next followed Cara and her Agiels, then came Zedd, next to Kahlan. The man with no pupils paused, clearly outnumbered. He let out an unnatural high pitched scream and at least ten other men jumped out of the trailer and ran at them, weapons drawn. Some had swords, some had daggers, some had maces, and some had axes. The last man to exit the trailer had a club with spikes, and poison on the tip of each spike. Richard noticed that Darken Rahl remained hidden. He wondered why. The last time they had encountered enemies was when they were alone after he had killed all the night wisps, save a single pregnant one that Cara and Kahlan had to take. Zedd had gone to find the listener to get the information they needed out of Rahl's head, so Richard had been left to take Rahl with him until Zedd returned. He didn't want to admit it back then, but they had made a pretty good team. The reason why he remained hidden now was unknown to Richard.

And then he saw him, creeping around with Zana and Radine to ambush the unguarded trailer and pair of black horses. Only the two unsuspecting men with the reins were there, and their pure white eyes were fixed solely on the battle that they saw in front of them. Richard was certainly glad that Rahl wasn't being a coward at the most undesired time for him to do so. He felt bad that he had doubted him, feeling that if the rest of his friends were going to trust Rahl, he would have to back up his word and be the first one to openly do so. He was also glad that Rahl had noticed that the men were a threat. Thankfully, Cara had been right in the fact that Darken Rahl wasn't a fool. Richard guessed that Rahl had probably seen the strange, white eyed men at the same time that he had, and had started taking action immediately after, his Mord-Sith faithfully following his lead. Richard had another split second to think and he filled his thoughts with focusing, later, on not calling Radine and Zana _Rahl's_ Mord-Sith. While they were with Richard, they were their own people, and they weren't _owned_ by anyone. And that included Rahl especially. After that last thought left his mind, he filled himself with the sword's magic, allowing it to freely flow within him, preparing him for the eminent combat.

The white eyed men swung their weapons around in their hands, showing that they were skilled in the mastery of whichever weapon they held. They moved together, as if they were a single entity, instead of about a dozen men preparing for attack. Richard calmly watched the way they moved about, as if they knew what the man standing next to them was about to do a couple seconds before he even knew it himself. These were no ordinary D'Harans. They looked to be affected by magic. Richard hoped it wouldn't become a huge problem, but something inside him told him that he was putting false faith into that hope. The magic had to come from somewhere… Some other, bigger threat than only a group of a dozen D'Haran soldiers.

In Richard's mind, despite the screaming of his blade's magic in his head, kept a calm outer layer around him. He closed his eyes for a moment, keeping track of where everyone was. He instinctively knew which soldiers Kahlan, Cara and Zedd would attack because of the countless battles he had fought side-by-side with them in the past. He knew what they were going to do and how they would carry out the task of killing these men. If there was another option, Richard could come up with one. So the only reasonable solution was to protect themselves by destroying the threat: these magic-infested men. They had made their decision to attack, whether that decision was influenced by magic or not. They wouldn't change their minds.

Neither would Richard.

In the stillness, he saw the first come from the left, obviously moving in coordination with another attack coming from the right. His confidence in Cara made him turn his back on the man coming at him from the right to focus all his attention on the primary threat. He watched as if in slow motion as Zedd and Kahlan fanned out to the left, working their way around the attacking man to get at the group.

Richard unleashed the magic of the Sword of Truth and spun with his attack, letting it sweep past him. He cleaved open the man's skull, watching as viscera spilled over the ground. An unexpected but poorly carried-out charge came from behind. He met it with a foot to the man's chest, throwing him back with force aided by the magic coursing through him.

Richard gave himself over to the magic of the sword. He was defending himself purely because of instinct. He had no thoughts as his fluid movements commenced, the magic of the sword calling for more. It hungered for it. It needed it. The faster the men attacked, the faster Richard reacted. He slipped among a group of attackers, splintering a poison-tipped clubs and spears. Wood collided with metal, shattering without a second thought. Richard felt as if everything were moving in slow motion. He could see every bead of sweat on each of his enemies. He could clearly see their expressions before the Sword of Truth cut into them, ending their lives. The thing that shocked him was how their faces betrayed no emotion. If he had to guess, Richard would have concluded that they didn't have any. There was no fear in their pupil-less eyes as they saw their death coming headfirst at them. They didn't appear happy or discouraged when one of their attacks looked to be succeeding or failing. It was as if the life had already been sucked out of them. It was as if they were already dead, and Richard was swinging at a group of corpses instead of soldiers. He noticed that Cara had killed one, Kahlan and Zedd had killed three. As he sliced his sword across the stomach of his sixth victim, watching as the blood and entrails squirted out of the fatal gash, he noticed that Darken Rahl had sliced the throat of one of the men on the trailer. The black horses reared up onto their hind legs, spooked by the blood gushing out of the second man all over their backs. Richard never knew that a Mord-Sith drew blood when going after a quick and efficient kill. He let the entertaining thought of never getting on Zana or Radine's bad sides enter his mind as he waited what seemed like an eternity for the final attacker to come after him. Instead, Darken Rahl met him from behind, jabbing his short but sharp blade into the man's back. Richard watched as the expressionless face of the man distorted a bit when the blade hit his vertebrae and snapped it into more than a few pieces inside his now mangled body. Rahl pulled out his tense sword from the man with a low grunt. Richard's eyes opened wide as the man's blood ran black across the ground. It made its way towards Richard, who dodged the blood's oncoming with an astonished shout.

"Everyone, move!" he yelled, instantly seeing the apparently living black blood separating and heading for all of them. Kahlan and Cara dashed side to side with their long legs, evading the liquid with tremendous effort. Zedd shot a blast of wizard's fire at one, causing it to turn red and remain still. It had turned back into the man's blood.

"Zedd!" Kahlan screeched, attracting everyone's attention for a moment. She and Cara were being surrounded by four puddles of the liquid. Zedd shot each of them, turning them into regular blood as well.

Darken Rahl jumped to grab onto the edge of the trailer as it was being dragged along the clearing by the spooked horses. He swung himself up onto the front with a leap to be admired and found a foothold so as not to slip off the bumpy ride. He grabbed the reins and slowed the huge black horses down, making sure that they continued moving. Zedd hit another black puddle with wizard's fire as it raced for Zana. She seemed to be distracted by something else at that moment.

"Zedd!" Richard yelled, "Help Radine!" Zedd turned around, not fully aware of where the Mord-Sith was being attacked from. "ZEDD!" Richard piercing scream attracted everyone's full attention. They turned their eyes in Radine's direction as Richard's fearful look showed them where they would find her. Zedd blasted the remaining dark ooze as they all watched as Radine was touched by the puddle that had come after her from the start. The obscure liquid stretched to unbelievable lengths and covered half of her body. Then, it just disappeared and Radine screamed and crumpled to the ground. "Radine!" Richard called, racing over to her. He bent down at her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her body was icy cold.

"Richard!" Darken Rahl called tensely, "Get away from her!" Richard looked up, and then felt the powerful sting of an Agiel to the side of his rib cage. He let out a yelp and jumped back, away from the pain. Instantly after he could see her, he noticed that her eyes were pure white. He grabbed his sword and pointed it threateningly at her. How much he didn't want to have to kill her, but the sword was screaming at him to do it. It was screaming at him to destroy the evident threat standing before him. He let out a mournful cry as he ran the sword through her stomach before her Agiel lunged for his heart. Radine gasped, clear emotions of pain and sorrow stretched over her face, unlike the men Richard had just fought. He heard Zana scream that she was going to kill him and blurredly saw her coming towards him, both Agiels in her white-knuckled fists. He felt the weight of the Mord-Sith's crumpled body as Radine toppled over him on the ground. He mistily saw Rahl running to come between him and Zana. He held out a hand as he sprinted and yelled something to her that Richard couldn't quite make out. He sure was glad Rahl was on his side at that moment.

Everything went black.


	5. Awakening

**Chapter Five: Awakening**

Kahlan paced worriedly around the fireplace of the unfamiliar house. She didn't trust Darken Rahl as much as Richard had hoped she would, but she was certainly giving it her all.

Rahl had talked Kahlan into coming to this place, and once Kahlan was convinced, for this situation, she would decide where to go. Richard was Zedd's grandson, and Kahlan knew Cara would protect him with her life if necessary, but she was his love. And so that was the final decision. If she felt that Richard would be safer here than anywhere that Cara or Zedd put up for grabs, then this was where they were going to be for a while.

And a while it had been indeed. Richard had been out cold for two days now, and Kahlan was getting very worried about him. She didn't even know what was causing his prolonged sleep. And how could she protect him from something that she couldn't even understand? She felt completely useless to him. She smiled when she thought of what he would say to her if she ever told him that she felt that way just then.

The house that they were escorted to by Darken Rahl was an abandoned shack, to put it lightly. The walls were caving in and the off-white paint was peeling in every direction as it curled up against the wall from years of humidity and harsh weather. There were thin brick stacks holding the ceiling up. Cara had commented that Rahl was going to get them all squashed like a bug, but Rahl had insisted that the ceiling would remain where it was.

Other than that, there was a painting of Panis Rahl, Darken Rahl's father, hung on the wall. That, too, was peeling. It was faded, but, being the Mother Confessor, Kahlan knew who it was from the familiar blue eyes. The eyes of Darken Rahl, but the features of a less… _concentrated_ man. They were very different from Richard's gray eyes. They were filled with compassion and hope for the future. They were noting like his father's, or anyone on his father's side of the family chain. Richard was his own man. He was so kind and so unique. And Kahlan loved him with all her heart.

When Zedd had asked Rahl about the house, after Kahlan told him about the faded painting hung crookedly on the far wall, above the fireplace, Rahl had only commented that it was a private matter that he didn't want to discuss. He did, however, reveal that the run down house had been used by messengers for the D'Haran throne. All he really said was that, when he sent messages out to his generals back when Richard and he were still trying to kill each other, the messengers would often make pit stops here to change messengers or just take a rest. All the supplies, such as food and water, were taken when the house was abandoned. When Cara asked him how he knew all this, he also revealed that he was the one who told the messengers to abandon this place forever and leave nothing behind. Kahlan had trusted him because of this information. If he had given the order for no one to come back, then they were safe here… for a little while.

If they stayed in one place for too long, the cursed D'Haran soldiers, as Zana had officially named them, might find them again. Also, if they were no longer under Darken Rahl's command, then they would know about this place, and they might very well wander inside without warning. The thought gave Kahlan chills. Without Richard, they would have a bit of trouble defending themselves. Especially if there were as many as last time. They were two people down on their end of the stick.

Kahlan's thought wandered to Radine. She knew that the Mord-Sith would have obeyed any order Darken Rahl had given her, but when that black liquid touched her, it was as if she became a different person. It was as if she became a puppet without a puppeteer. Or without a puppeteer that she could find. She wondered if a person was behind all this, or if it the liquid was alive. It had behaved as such, but Kahlan didn't ignore the possibility that someone else could have been controlling the mind-changing substance. Moreover, a part of her didn't want to trust Rahl anymore. He seemed to know exactly what was going on when Radine had been touched by that thing. He had yelled to Richard to stay away from her as if he knew what was going to happen.

But Darken Rahl had killed Radine, his own Mord-Sith, because she threatened everyone else's lives by just being there. She truly didn't know what to trust anymore… Except for Richard. And two days ago, Richard had asked her to give Rahl a chance. So that was what she was going to do. If she was going to trust anyone, it would be Richard. It would _always_ be Richard.

"Kahlan," Zedd's voice called softly from behind. She thought it was silly how everyone had been speaking in nothing more than a whisper over the past couple days. It wasn't like they were going to wake Richard. And after two days, wouldn't they _want_ to wake him up to make sure he's alright?

"Zedd," Kahlan said in greeting, "How is he?"

Zedd had been in the back bedroom with Richard for the past few hours. At least one of them was constantly watching over him at all times. Cara insisted that she take longer shifts than everyone else, seeing herself as the primary bodyguard for him. In the end, they had allowed her to do as she pleased, as long as she didn't lose sleep over it when someone else was more than willing to take over for her. When Darken Rahl or Zana was watching over Richard as he slept, Cara made a point of checking in on them, just for the sole purpose of reminding them of their positions. Cara didn't trust them, and she made it unapologetically obvious to everyone around her.

"He's still asleep, but he's fine. Don't worry about him too much, Kahlan. You and I both know that he wouldn't want that."

Kahlan nodded, but didn't allow Zedd's message to allow her to believe that everything was alright. For her, everything would not be alright until Richard woke up. "Who's with him now?" she asked, hoping dearly that it was her turn to watch over him.

"Zana… and Cara of course," he added, shrugging.

"Of course," Kahlan agreed. "How's she doing? Zana, I mean. She's probably upset about Radine. They were close, weren't they?" She lifted her head. "I hope she doesn't blame Richard for what happened to her."

"I think that's why Cara's in there as well. Just in case she goes through an emotional breakdown of sorts. You never know."

"Zedd…" Kahlan began, but stopped. With Zedd and Cara being so accusing of Rahl and his accompanying Mord-Sith, it was hard for her to remember her promise to Richard. It took a concentrated amount of self-motivation to keep that promise.

"I know," Zedd said understandingly, as if he had just read her mind. "But Richard makes mistakes, Kahlan. He is an amazing individual, but he's not perfect. None of us are."

"It just proves to show that people deserve second chances, Zedd. That's why I believe that this is not Richard's mistake. It's Rahl's. And as you said, he isn't perfect, so the mistake can be accepted and forgiven. That's why I have to listen to Richard. His reasons don't often make sense to me, but now, for _this_ , it does."

"You know I don't like taking the side that my grandson isn't on, Kahlan. So I hope you see that I wouldn't do it unless I had a very good reason for it."

"I just don't understand why I have to keep having this talk with you and Cara. We already know where we stand. You'll have an impossible time changing my mind about this, and I suppose that the same goes for you. But this is what we believe, so why bother trying to change it with persuasion?"

"It's all right to just talk about it," he said, clasping his hands behind his back and stretching. "I know you'll always side with Richard, Kahlan. A blind man could see that, and I have no intentions of ever trying to change that or persuade you otherwise."

Kahlan smiled at the kind gesture of avoiding an argument. "Thank you, Zedd."

"Well," Darken Rahl said to them. Kahlan turned to find that he had been listening in on them. She didn't know how long he had been there, but he wasn't supporting her cause of trusting him. "When you two are done arguing over what to eat for dinner, maybe we should go hunting instead," he said, walking towards them. Kahlan had a confused look in her eyes when they locked with Rahl's. She instantly thought of the painting of his father with the same bright blue eyes. "It's a joke," he said, his tone pretending to be upset about them not getting it.

"Obviously a very _bad_ one at that," Zedd commented, folding his arms as he scowled at the fact that Rahl had been listening in on them. He stole a glance at Kahlan as if his point had just been proven. Kahlan felt like hanging her head, but resisted the urge nonetheless.

"I'm sorry my humor isn't as up to date as yours, Zeddicus," Rahl replied, rubbing the back of his hand. There was no ounce of apology in his voice when he spoke.

"Hey!" Cara called, startling Kahlan a bit, "He's waking up! Richard's waking up!"

Kahlan gasped and turned to Zedd with a smile before jogging through the house into the back bedroom. As soon as she saw Richard, his eyes just opening as he sat up with aid from Cara, she couldn't help but laugh a little. Zana was sitting in a chair away from the bed where he lay. There was no doubt in Kahlan's mind that Cara had made the arrangements for Zana in the room. She felt bad, but only for a second as her thoughts were preoccupied in that moment.

"Richard!" she called, falling to her knees at the side of the bed. Richard turned to look at who was calling his name and smiled when he saw who it was.

"Kahlan," he said softly, still coming out of his drowsiness. He rubbed his head and looked around the room. Rahl and Zedd were just entering and he noticed them as well. "What happened?" he asked no one in particular. He looked at everyone when no answer came. And then he jumped, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His anxious eyes made their way to Darken Rahl and he eyed him suspiciously at the unexpected gesture. "Where's Radine?" Richard asked him harshly.

"Richard…" Kahlan said, grabbing his hand with hers on the age-worn sheets of the bed.

"What happened to her, Rahl?" he said with force, squeezing Kahlan's hand as if to tell her that he appreciated the gesticulation. The full glare of his gray eyes was upon Rahl, but he didn't look the least bit intimidated. Years of practice, Kahlan guessed. Probably from all the people who had grown to hate him after they finally met him. The looks he would have gotten from them, she could clearly see. She had once been one of them. But most of them never got away like she and Richard had. She didn't even want to think of what happened next. That part was long over. They were only memories that would haunt her past.

"She's dead," came a small voice in the corner. Everyone turned to Zana, who still hung her head as low as possible. She spoke as if she didn't believe what she was telling them. Kahlan could almost feel Richard's mood change from direct to apologetic. He felt for Zana. He had barely known Radine, and yet it was clear that he would grieve for her death as Zana would. "Lord Rahl was forced to kill her. She was a threat to him and all of you, so she had to die. There was no other way. And she died as a Mord-Sith wished to die: in battle. She was a fine warrior and a reliable Sister of the Agiel. Her talents as a Mord-Sith will not be forgotten by me for the rest of my life and beyond."

Her head still hung, but it was clear that that had been her final farewell to her companion. Richard looked around the room. Everyone's head was hung. Even Cara's, which didn't surprise him as much as he thought it would have. It seemed reasonable. Radine had been Mord-Sith, just like Cara. Of course she would give a moment of her time to grieve for someone like that, no matter what wrongs the person had performed during their lifetime.

Silence was the loudest noise in the room, and it hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity. But it subsided after a few long-lasting moments.

"We should get moving," Richard said, breaking the lack of noise once and for all. Kahlan felt like she could breathe again at the sound of something other than silence. "Kahlan, how long was I out?"

"About forty-eight hours," she replied, wondering what he had on his mind.

"We really need to get moving," he said as Cara helped him up, seeing as he was standing whether she gave it to him or not. "The threat from before could find us again. In fact, they may be after us. We need to get out of here, now. Didn't you think of moving earlier?" he asked, and Kahlan felt a bit stupid for not being able to nod her head or agree with him. "I'm sure I'm not too heavy to be moved a couple miles or so," he stated flatly. "I don't mean to be rude, but what would have happened if those D'Haran soldiers had recruitments coming from behind, and they managed to follow your tracks back here? Radine is gone and I would only be a major liability to you. You wouldn't have had any type of advantage or powerful offense to defend yourselves. Some of you could have gotten hurt or worse."

Now, everyone's heads hung for a different reason. Richard noticed that Rahl wasn't fazed by his words.

"Something to say?" he asked, and Rahl looked him directly in the eye, as Richard had done to him beforehand. Richard wondered if Rahl saw an action like that as a challenge. He hoped not, because that would only cause more problems for all of them.

"I guess we're very lucky that there were no recruits, then," he stated, his voice changing from a tone of casual conversation to a thin, reedy tone that told Richard that he had something else on his mind. But after waiting a few seconds, Richard knew that Rahl didn't plan on sharing his thoughts. A penny would be no good to him in this situation.

"Did you have any place in mind?" Cara asked Richard, trying to break whatever tense line of electricity that was beginning to form between the two brothers.

"No, I didn't," Richard admitted, turning to Cara. Rahl looked away as well with a coy smirk running over his lips. "I was hoping that one of you knew if there was a town nearby that we could stay for a night at."

"I don't even know where we are in the Midlands anymore, my boy," Zedd said in an attempt to break the seriousness of the conversation topics.

"Actually, Zeddicus," Darken Rahl said, cutting in, "We're no longer in the Midlands. Do you honestly think that a D'Haran messenger fort would be placed in the Midlands? No, we are in D'Hara. This is my territory, lest you forget, and I was brought up as a child to know the entire place like the back of my hand." He looked around, exchanging glances with everyone but Zana, who still held her head low. "I guess the lucky part is that you have me to aid you now," he smiled, earning himself a sarcastic snort from Cara.

"Don't worry, Richard," she said fondly, "I know the area as well, so if Rahl accidentally _dies_ in his sleep, you'll still have me. And I can confidently say that I'm probably more reliable than him anyway." She lifted her chin into the air and Richard rolled his eyes. The atmosphere had finally changed, thanks to Cara's insanely dry humor.

"Well, Cara. Since you and Rahl know the area so well, how about you two get together and make us a map," he said, a devilish look in his eye.

"You can't be serious," she said, the tone in her voice revealing that she thought it was a stupid joke.

"We do sort of need one, you know," he said, adding onto his maniacal scheme. Cara scowled at him, but knew that he was being serious underneath his lighthearted masquerade. "Well?" he said, and Cara frowned at him.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I could make you a map by myself," she said, and Richard recognized the way that she was trying to worm her way out of a sticky situation. He smiled at her, knowing her plan was about to fail.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind lending a hand. Would you?" he asked, turning his head to face Rahl.

"Of course not, dear brother," he said, apparently liking the plan to get the unfriendly and untamed Mord-Sith angry. "I would love aid Cara with my humble services," he said, bowing. Richard thought it looked odd to see him bow to anyone. He looked almost regal, even in the drab clothes that he was wearing.

"Well, you two get on that," Zedd said with a grunt as he stretched out his back, standing up and leaning backwards with is hands on his lower back for support. "I think I'm going to see if I can cook me some rabbit."

"You have to catch it first, Zedd," Richard laughed.

"That's not the way I do things, my boy. I catch them and cook them at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone. Makes the trip all that more convenient." Richard rolled his eyes but chuckled nonetheless.

He looked over at Kahlan for a moment and she flashed him one of her special smiles that she gave no one else. He smiled back and continued his gaze around the room. Cara was still standing with her arms crossed, fussing to herself over the unwanted conditions of making a map. Zana was in the corner. He wished he could do something about her loss, but as her head hung as low as he had ever seen, he knew that only time could mend her kinds of wounds. Zedd was rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Richard knew that the rabbit was probably the only thing on his mind. Darken Rahl was on his way out the door already, and Kahlan was right where he wanted her to be: At his side. She sat down on the bed next to him and smiled at him again. He took her hands in his.

"Thanks for watching everyone for me while I was gone," he said.

"Oh, Richard. They don't need watching. And I think that Cara finds it more suiting that you give _her_ that job." She smiled and he smiled back.

"All right, you two lovebirds," Cara interrupted loudly, "We should start heading out now."

"Oh, no you don't," Richard said, and he saw the bummed expression return to the Mord-Sith's face. "You still have a map to make before we go. And I'd advise you do it quickly. I don't want to have to run into anymore of those soldiers, Cara."

When it came to Richard's safety, Cara would give up her life. So, at the mention of more of the previous soldiers coming, she just nodded and headed out the door, after Rahl. Richard wondered why he wanted to be alone all the time if being trusted was so important to him. Sometimes it felt as if his intentions changed every now and again. As if he was just making everything up as he went along. As if he never really had a plan from the get-go.

"Kahlan," Richard whispered, "Maybe you should talk with Zana. She's going through a hard time, and I need her to be ready if another attack finds its way to us. I'd talk to her myself, but I was the cause of Radine's death. I doubt she'd listen to me about anything."

"Of course I will. But Radine's death wasn't your fault, Richard, and you should know that. And even though Darken Rahl was the one who stopped her from killing you, it's not his fault either. What truly killed Radine was that black liquid that had infected the D'Haran soldiers. It was none of us, and I doubt that Zana has failed to realize that."

"I know. It's just that I was the one she attacked. Maybe if she didn't feel threatened by me, then she wouldn't have had to die."

"Richard," Kahlan said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I don't know what that liquid did, but I know that when it touched Radine, she was already gone. Radine wasn't the one who attacked you, and Darken Rahl didn't kill _Radine_. The black blood killed her when it touched her. If anyone, or any _thing_ is to blame, it's whatever _that_ thing was. It was none of us. It wasn't Zana's fault. It wasn't Rahl's fault. And it certainly wasn't _your_ fault, Richard Cypher."

There was a long pause, and Kahlan wondered if Richard had even been listening to her.

"All right," he finally said, looking resigned. "I guess I'll go help Zedd with getting some food. After Cara and Rahl are finished drawing a map for us, we'll eat, and then we can leave for the closest town."

Kahlan nodded, her thoughts still focused on whether or not Richard continued to blame himself for what happened to the Mord-Sith. She hoped he would learn on his own if she hadn't been able to convince him.

Richard slowly turned his head as he left the room to see Kahlan making her way over to Zana. He smiled and continued on his way outside. He noticed Cara waving her arms in the air in frustration with her back turned to Rahl off in the distance and chuckled silently to himself. He found Zedd's trail of footsteps that he had left behind only moments ago and followed them into the woods beyond the house's boundaries.

"Zedd!" he called, when he entered a clearing and the First Wizard was nowhere to be found.

"Over here, my boy!" came a reply to Richard's left. He thought it sounded a bit forced.

The clearing he was in was full of lush, bright green grass. It was cut to a nice length, but looked as if it hadn't been disturbed by any human activity in a while. The trees surrounding it were dispersed in an evenly manner, so that Richard could clearly see through them without any trouble. The leaves on the ground below the trees were a little damp, signifying that it had rained the day before, and as Richard walked through them to get to his grandfather, his leather boots squeaked with each step he took.

"Catch anything yet?" he asked, walking up to him. Zedd turned to Richard with a stern look in his eyes. "What's wrong, Zedd?" Richard asked, part of him not wanting to know what answer was in store for him.

"There," he replied solemnly, pointing a few yards away from where they stood. Richard walked over to where he was pointing to find small twigs and some of the leaves were charred. Some even held small flames. And right in the middle of the ashes was a rabbit, burnt to a crisp. There was no one else around, so Richard knew that this was Zedd's doing.

"What's wrong?" Richard asked. "I thought you came out here to catch a rabbit. What happened?"

"Are you seeing the same thing I'm seeing, Richard?" he asked vehemently, and Richard turned to take another look at the rabbit. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the fact that the rabbit was burnt to the point that a starving man might not have eaten it. He looked around and saw a trail of more ashes. It looked as if Zedd had shot Wizards Fire at something but missed his target. Richard stood and followed the trail of singed leaves and sullied branches until he found what appeared to be what his grandfather had been talking about.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked, and Zedd nodded.

"That depends on what you think it is. If you think it's a puddle of blood, then you're correct. But if you think that it's the same blood that was in those D'Haran soldiers from before… then you're also correct. Well, it _was_ the same blood before I set fire to it."

Richard stared down at the scarlet puddle. It was already starting to be absorbed into the ground. Into the life of the forest. He glanced over at the blackened rabbit and then back up at Zedd.

"What happened to it?"

"I believe we need to leave… _now_ ," he said, walking away. He headed back in the direction of the house.

"Zedd, what happened?" Richard called after him. He reached for the Sword of Truth at his belt, but felt nothing there. Not even his scabbard. Someone must have taken it off of him while he was out. It made him feel defenseless without it.

He jogged after Zedd until he crossed the border. Then, Zedd was at his side, gripping his elbow as they walked, steering him in the direction of the abandoned house. Richard managed to look around and notice Cara and Rahl sitting at a rotting picnic table with their faces shoved over a tanned piece of scroll paper. When they saw Richard and Zedd rushing towards the shack, they stood expecting them to yell that an attack was coming, or something along those lines. Richard hoped dearly that he wouldn't have to do that anytime soon.

"I believe we are being watched," Zedd whispered to him as they entered the building. Kahlan and Zana were talking together and Richard noticed a smile cross Zana's face. That was different, he thought. Mord-Sith never smiled. Even Cara tried to avoid it as much as possible. He wanted nothing more than to congratulate his love for venturing so deep into a Mord-Sith's heart and managing to pull out a smile. It was a feat like no other, in his point of view. It wasn't impossible, but it was difficult nevertheless. "That liquid can take over not only humans, but animals as well. We might be watched at any time. Even now, for instance," he said, a double meaning to his words.

Richard looked around as if he knew that there really was something there. Then he turned back to Zedd, his elbow being released. "I'll go see how our map's coming along. I just know that Cara isn't going to like the idea of being watched, so I should be the one to tell her, spare you the trouble. Let Kahlan and Zana know about it and tell them to pack their things because we're leaving as soon as they're finished."

Zedd nodded as Kahlan stood, noticing them and feeling the tension in the air. Richard turned to smile reassuringly at her, but her attention was already directed at Zedd as he began to speak. He turned back to the doorway and exited the shack.

When Cara and Rahl saw him heading for them, they stopped what they were doing and turned to him instantly.

"We have to leave," he said quickly, "Pack your things. We have to go _now_."

"What happened? Why are we leaving?" Cara asked, standing up. She was on the alert for any type of danger. Rahl looked at him curiously, expecting an answer for Cara's question.

"Zedd found an animal in the woods over there," he said, pointing in the general bearing of where they had been. "It was taken over by that liquid that infected the D'Haran soldiers from before. The ones who attacked us."

"What other D'Haran soldiers _were_ there?" Darken Rahl asked sarcastically, and Cara growled at him for interrupting. She looked back at Richard, urging him to go on.

"Zedd and I believe that we've been tracked by… whatever it is. And we think that it's been following us. It could have taken over the birds, or the bugs. I don't know what it can do, but we're getting out of here before it has time to get near us. We don't want another…" He paused, not wanting to have to say what happened, and partly because he wouldn't know how to explain it accurately.

"Accident," Rahl said, finishing for him. Richard just nodded. It was as good an explanation as any.

"Let's move," Richard said. He snatched up the half-finished map and made his way back towards the house, Cara and Rahl on his heels.


	6. The Village

**Chapter Six: The Village**

As they traveled through the woods, Richard couldn't help but realize that everyone was wary. The sighting of the black blood had put everyone on edge. Kahlan and Cara walked close to Richard, flanking on either side of him. Zedd was behind him, seemingly guarding the rear, and Darken Rahl was in the lead. Zana was at his side, following a bit behind him.

Richard knew that Cara and Kahlan wouldn't leave his side after being passed out for nearly three days. They worried for his safety, and he appreciated their concern, but he wished that they would worry more for themselves than for him. He had the Sword of Truth, at its rightful place in its scabbard on his left hip. It would take a lot to take him down, even in the dulled state that he was in.

He could still feel the repercussions of just waking up after a prolonged state of unconsciousness. Sometimes he got waves of nausea, and he was always tired, as if for the time that he had been unconscious, his mind hadn't registered his state. He felt like he hadn't slept in days. His eyelids were heavy and he had to force himself to walk with his back straight. He had made it a dire point not to let either Kahlan or Cara see him like that. The last thing he needed was for them to worry about him even more than they already were.

The floor of the forest was covered with a thin layer of dried leaves, exposing the fertile dirt below. The smell of wet bark infiltrated his nose with every inhale he took. Every exhale was in anticipation for the next batch of woodsy musk. Sometimes it seemed like the smells of the forest were what kept him going. But then he remembered Kahlan, and he knew that she was his reason for everything. The woods was his home, but Kahlan was his life. And to live somewhere, first you have to live. Richard glanced over at her and smiled.

"How much farther is this town?" Zedd asked tirelessly. Cara looked over at him and rolled her eyes.

"We're almost there. Keep your clothes on, will you? If Richard can walk without complaining about how exhausted he is, then you should make it a point to keep your oversensitive mouth shut." Richard threw a smirk in Zedd's direction, trying to loosen the tension between them. Zedd's mouth might be oversensitive, but Cara's was definitely bigger and bolder. Kahlan let out a giggle at the Mord-Sith's fiery temper.

Cara was also insistently upset about being forced to make a map with Darken Rahl. She was proud that she had been able to accomplish the task, but she was also arrogant because she couldn't have done it without his advice and knowledge on the surrounding areas. She was also forced to admit that having him along came in handy, even if she never said it aloud. The map was proof of Rahl's helpfulness, and Richard and Kahlan had given Cara a smirk and a glance to say that she should be grateful.

"It's just up ahead," Rahl said, lifting a hand and pointing a finger. Everyone looked through the woods, squinting to try and see their destination. Cara rolled her eyes. Richard guessed that she was continuing to have an attitude because she wanted to take all the credit for the map and leading the way to their ending goal. He sighed hopelessly as a wooden post came into view. A board was attached that pointed the way to the village, describing motels and lodges that were also in the general vicinity for travelers that passed by this area.

"I think I can see a house," Richard said, causing everyone to look forward once more. Kahlan nodded at him as if to say that she could see it as well. Darken Rahl picked up his pace, and Zana followed suit, walking faster to stay at his side. Cara walked faster so she could keep an eye on the two of them, but Richard remained at his usual pace. Kahlan lingered next to him and Zedd moved forward to take Cara's place at his side.

"What are you hoping to find here?" he asked, looking down at his grandson.

"In all honesty, Zedd, I have no idea. I'm hoping that maybe some of the people in this village have some information on that black liquid. Maybe someone knows something that could be of use to us. Knowledge is sometimes more powerful than any weapon in the world. It can be more powerful than the Sword of Truth."

"Of course, the Seeker himself is the true weapon. Not the sword. You know that better than anyone, I'm sure. But there's a problem with your reasoning. If these people have information on the black blood that took over those D'Haran soldiers, then they would have had to encounter the monster. If that's the case, then we may not be coming to a peaceful village. If they have the information you're looking for, then we may be walking towards the very thing we're trying to avoid."

"I know. I've thought of that. But we won't get anywhere if all we do is run. Even if I have to face the blood again to learn something that could help us in getting rid of it, then I believe that it would be worth the risk."

"Knowledge isn't worth your _life_ , Richard," Zedd said sternly. "Last time you faced the blood, you were knocked unconscious for almost three days. I would have thought you were smarter than that. This thing, whatever it is, is obviously dangerous. Radine gave her _life_ for _that_ knowledge. Don't risk another to find out something new about it. I don't want to find out if it can kill a person slowly, without remorse. I don't want to know if it can take over my grandson's body and make him try to kill the people he cares about!"

"Zedd…" Richard was taken aback by how strongly he felt about the topic. Maybe there was something his grandfather wasn't telling him. "Ignorance is bliss, but it can also kill you. There are many ways to die. The black liquid is one of many. Why should I try and get to this village when I need to sleep? It's not because I want to find out how far I can walk before falling. It isn't to see how worried I can make everyone. It's because I know that it's for a greater cause. If I don't move, then I'll get my rest— That's true. But then I may lose something else that's even more valuable to me."

"This is a little different from being tired, Richard."

"No, it's not. This village may hold answers to some of my questions. If I have to wait a little while to be able to rest for that one chance, then I'm willing to take it. I'm well aware of Radine's sacrifice, but it was not for knowledge. Radine died because we were ignorant. I didn't know what the black blood could do. I will not make the same mistake again. I will not risk Kahlan or Cara or your life because I am tired. That is a decision for fools."

"And what if the liquid attacked you on our way here? You would be too exhausted to defend yourself."

"That's the risk, Zedd. Don't you see? Radine died _because_ of ignorance. She was taken control of because we didn't know what we were up against. She did not die for the sole purpose of finding out what that monster could do. The liquid attacking me while I'm tired is a risk that I decided I needed to take. But then again, it seems that the liquid could have attacked us at any moment anyway. It wasn't much of a risk when it could have reached us anywhere, now was it? We found it not far from where we were staying. There was no risk. It was only a choice. Either we moved and tried to avoid the threat, or we stayed as I rested in case it decided to attack us then and there. I don't know what everyone else would have wanted to do, but I know that I made _my_ choice. I wasn't going to risk everyone's life so I could defend myself."

"It's inconsequential why that choice was made, but the liquid can as easily attack us at this village than it could have back at that shack. The only difference is that now there are more people whose lives are being threatened. Did you ever stop to think of that? There are innocent women and children in this village. They're now in danger because we've moved to their homes."

"I wouldn't have decided to come here if I knew that I was putting them in danger, but you're under the assumption that the liquid is only after us. As far as we know, it could have no target whatsoever. And if its primary goal was to go after us, then why didn't it attack at any time during the couple days that I was unconscious? It should have realized my weakness and taken advantage of that to carry out its goal. Once again, ignorance is getting in the way. I took your assumption into consideration when I had made my choice, but as far as I know, the people in this village could be in danger as much as we are. The liquid may not have a primary target. It may just attack whatever or whoever crosses its path. So finding a solution to our problem once again became my main focus in this situation. I felt that if there might be answers in this village, seeing as it's the nearest town to where we were first attacked, then this should be where we head to next. If it's possible that I could find a solution here, then I would also be preventing the people living here from the danger that the black blood presents to them."

"Richard's right, Zedd," Kahlan said, and Richard turned to her, unaware that she had been listening to their conversation.

"Bags, he's always right!" Zedd exasperated, throwing his hands into the air. "But I certainly hope you know exactly what it is you're doing, my boy."

"Don't worry, Zedd," he replied reassuringly.

They had finally arrived at the entrance to the village. A huge wooden wall was built around it two small houses were built in front of the entrance. As they approached the gateway, a man came running out of the small house on the right. He headed straight for them, and Richard stepped forward, prepared to speak. But before he could, he noticed the expression on the man's face. He also noticed the sharp dagger in the man's right hand.

Instinctively and instantly, Richard drew the Sword of Truth, its familiar ring of steel echoing through his mind. Cara was at his side in a flash of red leather, her Agiel readily in her right hand. Kahlan drew her daggers from their sheaths in her boots as Zedd shoved his hands in front of him, preparing for a wizard's battle of magic. When Zana drew her weapon as well, Darken Rahl made a point to stay where he was and not make a single defensive move.

"What are you doing?!" Richard called, being pushed too far by Rahl's attitude while _he_ was being forced to defend himself in his weakened state of mind and body. "Protect yourself!"

In the next moment, the man that had been charging towards them stopped dead in his tracks. He dropped his weapon and raised his hands into the air.

"What's he doing?" Kahlan asked, letting her guard go down a bit. Richard noticed how everyone but Cara began to relax. He realized that the man was no longer a threat, but he appreciated Cara's presence. If there had been a true threat that the man posed that he wasn't aware of, he knew he would be able to trust in Cara to lend him her aid and always be prepared for the worst of circumstances.

"I'm so sorry," the man said loudly, coming closer to them and dropping to his knees. "My men and I were assigned to this post after the deaths in the village and they had all gone to get something to eat. I was jumpy and I mistook you bunch as a threat. I hope you can accept my sincerest apologies."

"That's fine," Kahlan said reassuringly, walking over to the man on his knees, his eyes to the ground below him. She moved to place her hand on his shoulders, but knew it would be improper, being who she was. When the man looked up, his face went rigid and he insistently bowed on all fours.

"Mother Confessor! I'm sorry, I had no idea that you were…" As the man looked around, he noticed everyone. "And the Seeker! My goodness. I've made a horrible mistake!" The man's eyes roamed over Cara and Zana fearfully. Everyone in the Midlands knew about the Mord-Sith and what they were trained to do. It didn't always make for pleasant introductions. The sight of two Mord-Sith travelling with the Mother Confessor and the Seeker had obviously made the man feel insignificant.

"Please, it's perfectly fine," Kahlan said, feeling a bit sorry for the intimidation she knew the man must have been feeling in their presence. It was one of the things about herself that she didn't always appreciate. "We understand your mistake. There's nothing to forgive."

The man's eyes widened with fear and Richard followed his eyes to Darken Rahl. The man clearly knew who he was kneeling before, but it was also clear that he didn't like it.

"You… You're the Lord Rahl." His eyes came back to Richard, "But he was killed by the Seeker. How is he still alive? Was it magic? Is he now your prisoner? I'm sorry but I can't allow someone like him into my village. I won't let him get anywhere near my family. Not after all the attacks that have—"

"Prisoner?" Rahl said, feigning surprise at the man's comment. "No, no, no. I'm not the Seeker's _prisoner_. I'm his loyal mapmaker," he said sarcastically, taking a dramatically regal bow. Zana lifted her head in recognition of being with him as his Mord-Sith. Richard rolled his eyes and ignored his brother.

"Did you say _attacks_?" Richard asked the man. "May I ask the cause of these attacks?" Zedd could tell that Richard was really pushing for an answer from the man.

"It was… one of our own. One day, he just went crazy and left the village in a rush. The next night, he returned. He… Elock was his name. He came back and he was… bloodthirsty. He killed one of our elders and ran off, back into the surrounding forests. Ever since then, he's been coming every night. Sometimes he takes food or supplies. Sometimes he burns down stores and homes. Sometimes he leaves the carcasses of dead animals in our streets for us to find in the morning. And sometimes… he kills a member of our beloved village." The man looked down at the ground once more, and Richard could guess that he might have been close to someone that had been killed.

"That's horrible," Kahlan said softly. "Do you know why Elock would do such a thing?"

"That monster wasn't Elock. That poor boy was infected by a ruthless beast. I knew that boy. He came from a poor family. He loved his parents and he loved to make them happy. He used to work for me in the lumberyard. He was so sweet to everyone in the village. It didn't matter to him that he had to work every day for his meals while many others didn't even have to lift a finger for theirs. He cared for everyone, rich or poor. And I know it sounds crazy, but that killer _wasn't_ Elock."

"No," Richard said, and the man looked up at him, "It doesn't sound crazy at all. We've encountered a being of magic that took over an entire convoy of D'Haran soldiers. We had to fight them. We even lost someone because of it." Richard noticed Zana fidget out of the corner of his eye. "Tell me, did you notice anything different about Elock's eyes while he… wasn't himself?"

"Now that you mention it, yes. His eyes were no longer that bright blue when the sun shone on them. They were pure white. His pupils weren't visible. I noticed that right before he ran off for the first time, about a week and a half ago."

Richard turned to Zedd. "Is it possible that the liquid we encountered isn't the only one out there? If what this man says is true, then the boy, Elock, must have been under the control of the black blood at the same time that we fought the infected soldiers."

"I guess it could be possible. There's nothing to prove that it isn't true. But it could also be that it is only one being that can split itself into multiple parts at one time."

"But then maybe it has a limit as to how many people it can infect at once."

"One or one _hundred_ , Richard! What's your point? This doesn't tell us anything."

"Could you two gossiping old ladies be kind enough to entertain us _all_ with your discussion," Rahl asked. Richard threw him a dissatisfied look, and Rahl responded with a shrug as he involuntarily rubbed the back of his hand and turned his head away from Richard's piercing gray eyes.

The man had risen to his feet. "My name is Owen. I hope you can all forgive me for scaring you earlier." His eyes returned to Richard, "But as I said before, I cannot allow such a tyrant into my home as the Lord Rahl himself."

"I'm honored that you think so highly of me, but you don't really have a say in the matter," Rahl said, a smirk plastered onto his face.

"He's not our prisoner," Richard said and Cara threw him an eager glance, as if to say that he should be.

"Maybe we could have him wait outside anyway," she whispered secretively to him, "And if we get lucky, maybe Elock will come back while he's asleep."

" _Cara_ ," Richard replied under his breath, believing from her tone that she was only joking, and yet not really being able to tell. He turned back to Owen. "He's travelling with us. It would be greatly appreciated if you could make an exception. I give you my word as the Seeker of Truth that he will not cause any harm to your people or your village."

"Yes, _father_ ," Rahl sardonically interrupted, smirking again and batting his eyelashes at Richard, who tried his best to continue ignoring him.

"But…" the man stuttered, "But he's the ruthless tyrant, Darken Rahl. He spread fear and tyranny over all the Midlands and D'Hara. He even took down the barrier to Westland, letting magic enter there. He's killed thousands of innocent women and children!"

"I see my reputation has escaped my knowledge over the years," Rahl added rudely.

"You _bastard_! You've brought never-ending fear and suffering to my family, and I'll be damned before you ever lay a hand on my daughter ever again! You will not enter this village without getting rid of me _first!_ "

"Whoa, hold on a second," Richard interrupted loudly. "No one is getting rid of anyone here. And we all know the horrid things Rahl has done in the past, but he's not the same as he was before. Listen, everyone deserves a second chance, and—"

"Richard," Kahlan said, placing a hand on Richard's shoulder to silence him. "Did you hear what that man just said?"

"Well, of course I did, Kahlan. All I'm saying is that—"

" _No_ , Richard," she said, squeezing his shoulder. He couldn't tell if it was a reassuring squeeze, or if it was meant to have a different meaning for him. "Rahl has obviously hurt this man and his family on a personal level. I think it would be best for him to stay out of the village while we're here."

"Well, Zana," Rahl said loudly, "It looks like we'll be camping for the night." He waved his arms in the air at his sides as if to show the world how glorious and special the surrounding woods were.

"No," Richard said, "Zana can go with Kahlan, Cara and Zedd. _I'll_ stay outside with Rahl."

"Why would you support such a coldblooded man?" Owen asked harshly. Richard knew that this man had a vendetta against Darken Rahl. And from his previous words, it sounded as if Rahl had taken Owen's daughter against her will. Richard didn't want to think about where he had taken her or what he had done with her there, but he knew that this man wasn't prepared to give Rahl any leeway for what he had shamelessly done in the past.

"Richard, you can't be serious," Kahlan said, "You need rest. The only thing staying out here will do is deprive you of that. Let someone else stay with Rahl. If it means that much to you, then I'll do it, but don't risk your own safety because of this. We can all see that you're weak. You don't need this. Let me stay instead. I don't mind at all."

"No, Kahlan. Stay with Zedd and Cara. Make sure Zana feels comfortable. I don't want her to feel unwanted or left out. She's welcome here as much as any of us. Rahl's mistakes aren't going to prevent her from anything. And as for me, I can handle myself. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Richard knew that telling Cara not to worry was like telling the sky to stop being blue. And he knew that telling Kahlan not to worry would only make her worry all the more.

Owen looked around at everyone. "I can assign guards out here. I'll tell them the Seeker and the Mother Confessor are here. You'll never be left alone during the night. I regret your decision to stay outside with this man, but I promise to try and make you as comfortable as we can."

"Thank you. I appreciate that," Richard said, noting how he never once looked at Rahl as he spoke. Whenever the man looked at Rahl, his eyes filled with hatred and his voice was stuffed full of malice and disgust.

Richard knew that trying to make everyone forgive Rahl was an impossible and life-wasting task. Owen was his first example of a person that couldn't he changed. He was a person who had first-on experience at how cruel and merciless Darken Rahl had been before the Keeper had breached the Underworld. Rahl had been the most evil man alive. It was true. Richard wasn't going to lie to himself and to others just to deny that fact. But remembering the things he had done made it difficult for him to believe the dramatic change he had undergone after the Stone of Tears had been placed at the Pillars of Creation and the Underworld had been sealed once again.

Owen brought back all those memories. He was first-hand prey of Rahl's tyrannical rule over D'Hara and the Midlands. And even Richard's home, Westland. But as he could recall everything he had worked for and all the wonderful things defeating Darken Rahl had brought for him, he couldn't help but believe that one of those things was being able to give Rahl a second chance. Maybe defeating Rahl and the Keeper wasn't only supposed to free the three lands and bring him and Kahlan together. Maybe it was also to allow Rahl to make up for the things he had done.

Maybe it was a second chance for all of them.


End file.
